


WILDERNESS

by simplyadivinebeing



Category: Fall Out Boy, My Chemical Romance, Panic At The Disco, Twenty One Pilots
Genre: Fluff, Gay, LGBT, LGBT Relationship, M/M, Smut, Triggering Material, dema, has some fluff in there, joshler - Freeform, trench
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-04
Updated: 2018-12-04
Packaged: 2019-09-07 06:09:26
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 8
Words: 22,348
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16848616
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/simplyadivinebeing/pseuds/simplyadivinebeing
Summary: Tyler had lived his whole life confined to the solid walls and rigid lifestyle of a citizen of Dema. He'd never known anything different, so there wasn't much of a reason to feel out of place. However, Tyler's adolescence was plagued with trouble. He began to dream; he began to question. The dreams were vivid, fueling his creativity as a young teenager to the point where he felt the motivation to write songs. Soon, his notebooks were full with tangled lyrics, messy melodies, and improv set lists of he were ever able to perform. Tyler found himself dreaming as he worked, thinking of what could possibly be.Then, he found his break.Under an old table in the mineshaft, was what looked like a school textbook. There was much more in there than he could ever imagine. Hundreds of words of mysterious text filled the old, broken book. He'd never seen some of those words before used in such a way, and it consumed his mind as he tried to figure out what they meant.He didn't know that his curiosity could possibly destroy all that the Bishops had created.





	1. Chapter 1

**_started 10/20/18_ **   
**_ended .. n/a_ **

  
🌻  
 **imbroglio**  
 **noun**  
 **an extremely confused, complicated, or embarrassing situation.**  
🌻  
 **song**  
 **broken whiskey glass; post malone**  
🌻

**_edited._ **

Tyler's jaws widened in a yawn. He hated school, which was often just a lot of _indoctrination_ , as his mother called it. They could never say that out loud without risking being punished. Thankfully, Tyler wasn't a snitch. He stared at a lone bug on the edge of his old oak desk, resisting the urge to flick its small body off. After looking for a while, he couldn't help himself. He moved his arm to get a better shot at the back of his friend's head. Tyler flicked the boxelder bug, cracking a smile as it landed directly on the raven-haired boy's back in front of him. Glancing down, Tyler noticed that some bug guts had spattered the tip of his finger. His nose wrinkled in disgust and he wiped it off on his jumpsuit. It only smeared white paste on the grey fabric.

 _Gross_.

Tyler looked back up, but the bug that he'd flicked onto Brendon's back was gone. It must have fallen off after dying. He frowned, scratching the back of his head. Tyler glanced down to the ground, looking for the bug corpse. Instead, something that glinted in the light caught his eye. The brunette boy looked back up, checking to make sure the teacher wasn't looking, then quickly leaned down and grabbed the circular object off the ground. Holding it up for a second in the light, Tyler realized that it was a button. He chuffed, shoving it in his chest pocket.

Tyler's gaze wandered to the clock, which was only a few seconds away from the end of the last class of the day. His breathing froze on the final second, making the release feel even sweeter as the loud, wailing siren that signified the end of the school day broke out. He practically jumped out of his desk, grabbing his jet black backpack and tossing it over his shoulder hastily. He felt Brendon grab the back of his bag, trailing close behind as they both pushed through the crowd. They hurried out of the giant concrete building, giving way to a bright blue sky and piercing cold air that made Tyler shiver. Brendon now sped up his pace to meet Tyler's as he walked beside him.

"Where are you working today?" The raven-haired teen asked, his voice bright with enthusiasm. He always managed to sound happy even when talking about the most mundane things.

Tyler shrugged a shoulder half-heartedly, "I think I'm on press duty today. My luck, it's the most boring job, and I have a five hour shift." He muttered.

Brendon shrugged as well. "It's alright. I got press duty too down in Scarver district." He replied with a toothy smile, hooking his fingers in the handle on Tyler's backpack. The two walked side by side all the way to the Lisden district, where Brendon and his family resided. Tyler always walked his best friend home every day, said hi to his family, and then walked back home. Today was no different.

Their conversation died out until they got to Brendon's complex. Tyler gave his good friend a parting way hug, offering a small smile and then heading on his way back to Keons district; his home. His family would be waiting, and he honestly couldn't wait to see his mom. Tyler's mom was one of the only things that kept him sane.

The Josephs all held the same beliefs, ones that could easily get them killed. They all believed in freedom of thought, freedom of expression, freedom in general. If Dema didn't have something, it would be any kind of freedom.

That was what drove Tyler crazy.

He didn't understand why freedom was so limited. Why couldn't they wear anything other than their assigned jumpsuits? Why was it such a big deal that it resulted in punishment? He wouldn't ever understand, it seemed. His skin wore the scars of a troubled adolescence, an adolescence of disobedience. He was quite the troublemaker when he was younger, but as time passed, Tyler's desire to 'show them' disappeared. It didn't ever seem to amount up to anything. No matter how much he tried to get under the skin of the Bishops, nothing ever came from it. The only thing he recieved was pain, and trauma from early beatings. He would never hear the crack of a whip the same way ever again, or the distant buzzing of a power line. Besides cheetahs, being electrocuted took a very high spot on the list of Tyler's greatest fears.

It had a reason to be there, unlike cheetahs.

Tyler let out a defeated sigh as he stood out front of his complex. He was exhausted by the time he got all the way up to the sixth floor, where the only home he'd ever known was. Tyler didn't even get the chance to reach for his keys. The door opened, showing that his mother must have been waiting for her oldest son already. She immediately pulled him into a tight hug, seeming relieved to see him. It made Tyler's heart warm up with joy to see her happy for once in a long while. To be fair, Kelly had been through so much more than any of the others of the Joseph family. Ever since Chris disappeared, Tyler's father, she wasn't the same. She clung so tightly to her oldest, one of her closest and only reminders of her deceased husband. Tyler was glad that he could help her recover from losing the only man she'd trusted to share her beliefs with. The only man she'd loved, and lost.

"Hi, momma'." Tyler murmured softly, pressing a kiss to Kelly's forehead.

"Hi, sweetheart.. do you work tonight?" She asked quietly, pulling back from the hug to let Tyler come in.

Tyler didn't take his shoes off, as he was planning to just go to work early today so he could finish his shift early as well. He nodded his head. "Yeah, but I'm due back before it gets dark. I wanted to just go now and get it over with so I don't have to walk home after dark." He replied, feeling a pang of guilt from leaving his mother so soon.

He barely was able to take a step further into the apartment before his youngest brother, Jay, came running out to greet him. Wrapping his small arms around Tyler's legs, he offered a toothy smile. "Guess what? Guess what?" He exclaimed, releasing Tyler so he could jump up and down.

Letting out an amused laugh, Tyler responded with a simple, "What?"

"I made a new friend today, and he's super cool! He gave me a cookie." Jay chirped, his smile only growing as he probably thought back to how good that cookie tasted.

"That's awesome. Keep friends that give you food around, especially cookies. You can never go wrong with cookies." Tyler said, his voice stern as if he was giving an important life lesson. Well, food was important to Tyler, so he was giving a life lesson in his eyes.

Jay lost interest in the conversation when he heard Madison yelling about something in the other room. He bolted off further in the apartment, shouting unintelligible words as he ran. Tyler let out an amused snort of laughter, but his smile faded when he saw the look on his mother's face. His expression dropped, knowing exactly what she was going to say.

"Do you really want to go early?" She asked, her brow furrowed in confusion.

Tyler nodded, scratching the back of his neck nervously. He definitely needed a haircut soon. His normally shaven head was now messy with tousled brunette locks. He had been putting it off as long as possible, not wanting to look like everyone else. That was Tyler's problem. He wanted to be different. He wasn't. He was just an average citizen, another slave to the Bishops. He didn't even realize that Kelly was talking to him because he was so deep in thought for a bit.

She sighed.

"I worry about you, Tyler." His mother said, shaking her head. "You either pay too much attention or too little."

Tyler stayed silent.

"One of these days, they're going to get you, and I won't be able to help you anymore. You're almost eighteen. They're going to be much stricter when you're no longer a child. I can't protect you forever." Kelly whispered. The teen didn't expect their conversation to turn into a lecture, but he nodded regardless. He had to admit, he was terrified of becoming an adult, at least in the Bishop's eyes. Soon enough he would be responsible for his own, and it wasn't that far away as it used to seem. Only a month. One more month, and not even. Two and a half weeks.

Tyler felt nauseous.

"Just be careful. Stay quiet. That's one thing you're good at that can help." Kelly added, turning back around to go find her youngest son somewhere in the apartment. She left Tyler standing at the front door. An emptiness that Tyler could never seem to shake suddenly filled him from head to toe, which was ironic. You couldn't be full of emptiness. It was impossible. Not to Tyler, he guessed. He felt like his whole body was empty, yet full of something at the same time. Some feeling that he couldn't identify. Perhaps it was the loss of belonging.

Tyler left the apartment without even going inside to grab a snack for work.

He was much too queasy to want to eat anyway.

The sun was starting to dip in the pale blue sky, cold air blowing through the entirety of Dema. It always got freezing at nighttime, especially when autumn was lulling to an end. Soon winter would set in, and snow would begin to fall. Tyler hated the snow. It made him feel cold on the outside, when he already was cold on the inside. Tyler continued forward, heading across the courtyard that separated the districts to meet back up with Brendon in district Scarver, where they both had press duty. Thankfully, the bishop that ruled Scarver wasn't as bad as the rest of them. Usually they were just referred to as the district they ruled. Tyler finally found Brendon in the crowded courtyard. They locked hands so one wouldn't get pulled away from the other in the mess of citizens all hurrying to get to their required places for work. Dema seemed a lot bigger when there were so many people crowded together in one place.

The rest of their trip to Scarver was silent, the two walking side by side through the concrete passageways that lead to each district.

Brendon opened his mouth to say something, but he was quickly interrupted by the looming figure of something that towered over the two teens. They both stopped in their tracks, eyes wide with surprise when they saw none other than **Scarver**. The long, flowing blood red robes gave Tyler chills to see up close, not to mention the unclear faces that seemed to always be watching you no matter how you looked at them. They were stunned into silence as they waited for something to happen. The tall bishop approached them, unwavering, not speaking for a solid thirty seconds as it only stared. Finally, Tyler saw the veil over its face move as it spoke.

" **Where are you two going?** "

Tyler was much too scared to say anything, so Brendon spoke up for him. "Uh.. this district. We have press duty." He mumbled, not daring to make eye contact with the massive figure that blocked their path.

" **Numbers.** "

Brendon did as he was told immediately, pulling the hem of his jumpsuit down and showing the bishop the tattooed number just above his collarbone. Tyler hesitated, the watchful gaze of the bishop making him much more terrified than he could have ever imagined. His blood seemed to run cold with fear, freezing him to his spot. Tyler's hesitation caught the attention of **Scarver** , exactly the opposite of what the brunette wanted.

" **I said** ** _numbers_** **, please.** "

Tyler swallowed thickly, bringing his trembling hand up to his neck so he could pull down his collar just enough to see what **Scarver** wanted. Seeming to process what it was shown, **Scarver** went silent for a while. Tyler could hear his heart thudding in his chest.

" **My records have Tyler Robert Joseph and Brendon Boyd Urie in the mines today. Please proceed to Nico, citizens.** " **Scarver** rumbled, raising one arm and pointing a gnarled finger towards the passageway that lead to the mentioned district.

 **Nico**.

_"Please! P-please don't hurt him! He didn't mean to!" Kelly begged, trying to thrash her way out of Chris's grip. Chris was stoic, his eyes reddened with past tears as he watched in silence. There was nothing that either of them could do without getting punishment themselves, but that wouldn't stop Kelly from begging for mercy for her son._

_Tyler wasn't even sure what was happening, but all he knew was that he was in dire trouble._ **_Nico_ ** _had a tight grasp on his arm, and he had something else in his unoccupied hand._

_"_ **_He should have thought about that before he disobeyed._ ** _"_ **_Nico_ ** _growled, pure venom dripping from his voice as he readied the object that he had in his other hand. There was a click, and then suddenly Tyler's whole body was on fire. Everything burned, and he screamed at the top of his lungs. His vision went blurry as_ **_Nico_ ** _pressed the object further into Tyler's back, keeping a tight hold on the young teen so he couldn't get away. After what felt like forever, but only was about seven seconds in reality, the constant burn stopped. Tyler collapsed to the floor, his fingers twitching from the leftover electrical current surging through his veins. He let out a sob, tears springing to his eyes as he curled up into a ball on the cold concrete._

**_Nico_ ** _wasn't finished._

_He grabbed Tyler by the throat, easily picking him up until his feet were off the ground. Tyler gasped for breath that he couldn't supply, clawing at_ **_Nico's_ ** _arm to try to get him to drop him. Tyler let out the loudest scream he could muster when he felt the metal object connect with his side, scorching the skin straight through his pale grey sweater with a molten hot surge of electricity. He could hear his mother screeching, pleading, begging for_ **_Nico_ ** _to let Tyler go._

Brendon grabbed a hold of Tyler's shaking hand, pulling him in the direction that they were told to go. Muttering a quick, 'thank you', Brendon pulled Tyler out of his frozen spot and kept him walking in the right direction. Tyler felt numb, the memories fading from his mind. He was barely able to get his legs to move to follow Brendon. Once they were out of the sight of **Scarver** , and on their way to Nico, Brendon spoke.

" _Dude_. You can't do that. You have to do what they say, when they say it. Or you're gunna' catch the attention of them and get them suspicious." Brendon scolded, letting go of Tyler's hand and stuffing his own back into his pocket to warm it up. "I know they're super fucking creepy and all but you have to."

Tyler knew that, he just couldn't stop thinking about the way that the bishops would look at them. It was terrifying, straight terrifying. He wasn't sure why their gaze would always send such horrible shivers down his spine and completely freeze his body. It always made him think back to his punishments.

He shook his head clear of those thoughts, trying to get the memories out before he had another episode. Tyler could barely find the words to respond to Brendon. "I'm sorry. I just spaced out for a second. Let's just get to the mines." Tyler said, speeding up his pace to match Brendon's.

Brendon didn't have the nerve to ask Tyler what had actually happened. He knew that Tyler had a troubled past, but he couldn't ever imagine the full extent of the trauma that Tyler went through at such a young age. His first punishment by **Nico** was when he was only thirteen. And it was far from the last he'd have to endure. He couldn't ever forget what it felt like to think that you were burning alive, the sheer amount of electricity surging through his veins like fire burning memories into his brain that he would never be able to shake.

They finally arrived at the mines, the dusty air threatening his lungs as he coughed. Tyler tried to ignore the dirtied faces of those being punished instead of working, their emancipated bodies and sickeningly pale skin that hadn't seen the light of day in way too long to be humane.

The Judge was anything but humane.

He was the one who sentenced those to punishment, and he never gave anyone a second chance. He was the one in charge, the top command, even above a bishop's jurisdiction. He seemed to enjoy the look of pain on someone's face. Nobody had ever lived to see his own face, though.

Tyler was letting his mind wander again.

He continued down the mineshaft, walking over to his station. On the partially broken oak table was a pickaxe, and a lantern. Tyler let out a sigh, shaking his head and reaching into his pocket for a lighter. He pulled his old silver lighter out, but something else came with it. Tyler heard the faint clutter of something hitting the stone below. The brunette glanced down, a look of confusion crossing his face. He dropped to his hands and knees, reaching under the table once he spotted what he'd dropped. It was his button from earlier. Feeling a pang of guilt for dropping it, Tyler reached for the button. For some reason, he felt guilt for an inanimate object that had no feelings. Tyler got a hold of it, but he saw something else under the table that caught his eye. He shoved the button back into his pocket, but then went back under the table for whatever else was hiding beneath the old oak. His fingers brushed something smooth, almost leathery. He grabbed the object, pulling it out from its hiding spot.

Tyler was confused, the object seeming to be a book of some kind. It was as thick as a school textbook, and it had a severely worn cover and torn bindings. The brunette didn't get the time to check even what the book was, as he heard something coming down the mineshaft. He didn't want to get it taken away from him, so he quickly slipped the big book into his backpack.

He would check it out when his shift was over.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> a/n: if you haven't figured it out yet, i realized that it might be confusing because the bishops are named after their district that they inhabit, so when the bishop themselves are being talked about, i made it so their names are in bold. when the district is being talked about, it's not in bold. just a note in case you didn't realize.


	2. Chapter 2

🌻  
 **sonder**  
 **noun**  
 **the realization that each random passerby is living a life as vivid and complex as your own.**  
🌻  
 **song**  
 **die trying; michl**  
🌻

**_edited._ **

Tyler had been dying to finally check out the book he found back in the mineshaft. He thought about it through his whole shift, his mind distracted and wandering the entire time. When he was approached by Brendon, who came up from his station further down in the mine, his heart soared with happiness. They worked the same amount of hours, so when Brendon came up, Tyler's shift was over as well. He was much too excited to talk to Brendon, so their walk home was silent, besides when they said their goodbyes until tomorrow. Thankfully, it was Saturday tomorrow. Tyler would be able to look through the strangely alluring book without being interrupted for work or school.

Tyler walked in the apartment unnoticed, slipping his shoes off at the door and putting his keys on the old dining table. He immediately went to his room, closing the door and locking it behind him. Tyler went through his normal routine before he got too invested in looking at the strange book. He brushed his teeth, used a pair of old rusty scissors to trim his hair, washed his face, and then changed into more comfortable clothes. The only time citizens were permitted to wear clothes other than the stingy grey jumpsuits was when they were at home. Even then, the only approved clothes were black or grey jeans, black shoes, black socks, and black or grey sweaters. Anything greyscale really. Color was strictly forbidden. There was no leniency. Punishment would follow disobedience. Tyler still had his 'rebel clothes' though from years prior. Only his jacket survived the raid that came after the discovering of his _rebellious tendencies_. It was a dark forest green, and he'd been given it when he was only a child by his father. He obviously couldn't fit it then, but once he was older, Tyler found himself wearing it around the house. It was a reminder of his past that he didn't mind being reminded of.

Now in some thick grey sweatpants and a white t-shirt that was at least two sizes too big for him, Tyler felt much more comfortable. He unzipped his backpack that had been sitting on his desk, pulling out the dusty book. He finally got to see it in the light, realazing how big the leather-covered book actually was. The biding was as thick as his pinkie was long. Tyler dusted off the front cover with his hand, trying to focus and read the words that were carved into it. It wasn't readable though. Tyler let out a frustrated sigh, shaking his head and deciding to just open it. The front couple pages were blank, but when he finally came to a page that was written on, he was surprised to find telligable writing. In faded brown ink, written in skilled cursive, were the first few words.

_PROPERTY OF THE ENLIGHTENED._

_RENOUNCE VIALISM._

_BATHE IN YELLOW._

_FIND TRENCH._

_FIND SALVATION._

Tyler was utterly confused. None of it made any sense to him. He knew what vialism was, but he'd been told to follow it his whole life by the bishops. Why would be reject it? Was it because it was taught by the bishops? That was his best guess.

Tyler flipped through countless pages, completely entranced by the words and vocabulary used by the unknown author. There were maps drawn in extreme detail that had to have been done by a professional, words that Tyler had never even heard before, and plenty of phrases that made absolutely no sense. Despite the fact that some of it made no sense, Tyler still found himself consumed by questions. When the idea crossed his mind, he knew it probably wasn't the best, but the drawing of the map peaked his curiosity. Tyler glanced out his bedroom window from where he was, the dark, moonless night only encouraging him. If he was careful, he wouldn't be seen.

He wouldn't be caught.

Tyler stood up from the desk.

He searched through his closet, finding the deep green jacket. He hesitated for a moment, hearing the small voice of his conscience in the back of his head screaming for him not to do it. Tyler could be punished even worse than usual because of his record. He hadn't done anything bad in over two years, and he could feel the itch to break the streak. Tyler decided to ignore it, shaking his head free of those thoughts and putting his black jeans back on. Once he was ready, Tyler slipped his dirty Vans on and grabbed the book. He stuffed it under his green jacket, zipping it up to hide it from the weather. He could see it drizzling outside, and he didn't want the book to be damaged more than it already was.

Tyler snuck down the stairs, holding onto the book under his jacket as he hurried outside. It was pitch black outside besides some of the dim, flickering lights of the street lamps. The brunette ran all the way to the outskirts of Keons, his lungs practically caving in from how fast he ran. He hadn't seen a single bishop yet, which surprised him. They patrolled all night long to look for stragglers and curfew breakers, but Tyler had managed to slip by without being noticed. Tyler finally came to the courtyard, which was much too open for his liking.

It was the only way.

Tyler readied himself, catching his breath for a few seconds before he shot off. He bolted across the courtyard as fast as his legs could carry him. Tyler's heart stopped in his chest when he heard the loud bang of a light turning on. Suddenly, a shadow twice as tall as him was casted in from of him, and Tyler realized that it was his own. A spotlight was shining on his back, lighting up his presence.

" **STOP RIGHT NOW, FUGITIVE.** "

Tyler did as he was told, fear taking over and resulting in immediate submission. He kept the book pressed tightly against his chest, freezing to the spot.

Tyler dared to glance back over his shoulder.

What looked like all nine of the bishops had come to the scene, approaching Tyler quickly from behind. The one at the front of the charge was none other than **Nico**. That fear that had driven him into submission now drove him to run. Tyler sprung into movement again, running with the spotlight chasing after him. He couldn't escape the light that illuminated his every move. He was almost there, mere steps from disappearing into the back alleys of the concrete corridors where he could escape.

_Almost._

Tyler felt himself be jolted backwards, knocking him off his feet. He heard the rip of the fabric of his jacket, and he stumbled to the ground. Landing awkwardly on his leg, twisting it in an unnatural manner, Tyler screamed in pain. He immediately scrambled back to his feet, ignoring the pain that shot through his veins like fire as he forced himself to stand. Tyler glanced back only once as he gripped tightly onto the book, running to safety. There he caught a glimpse of **Nico** , in one hand was a shred of Tyler's green coat, and in the other was the object that sent chills up Tyler's spine. He could feel the electric current surging through his body just by looking at it.

Tyler ran off into the safety of the wining corridors, where he could easily lose the bishops. Even they could get confused sometimes if you switched directions fast enough. That's exactly what Tyler did. He bolted in the direction of Nico, where his best chance at finding one of the tunnels on the map was. There was one that should have run right through the mineshaft he'd found the book in.

Go figure.

Tyler finally reached the mineshaft only minutes later due to how fast he was running. He'd definitely lost the bishops in the pursuit, but he could hear their strained voices as they called to each other. Low, wailing sirens started to sing their song, and lights from some of the apartment complexes lit up. A few people even checked out their windows. One shouted out in triumph for Tyler, a few others joining in the chant. They cheered him on as he ran into the mineshaft, probably because they thought he was escaping.

Tyler felt much safer when he was underground, the prying eyes of anyone now lost as he was alone. The brunette finally got the chance to slow down and catch his breath. He was gasping for air, his heart and chest burning. His leg was threatening to collapse any second. He definitely pulled a muscle. It could have been much worse, though.

He stumbled down the long, winding mineshaft, now taking out the book so he could look for the nearest tunnel. They were the way of transport for whoever wrote the book, and they were apparently a way to get outside.

Not outside as in outside _in_ Dema.

Outside _of_ Dema.

Tyler was confused as he read through one of the more complicated maps. It was the ones that should have lead him directly to one of the tunnels. It should run right through the mineshaft. Then again, he had no idea how old the book was. It could have been hundreds of years old, and Tyler would never know. The tunnels might not even exist anymore, age collapsing them and putting them in ruin. Maybe Tyler was just consumed by wishful thinking when he did this. It was so stupid, and now the bishops would be after him until he paid for his actions. He couldn't just go home and pretend that tonight didn't happen. They saw his face. They knew what he did.

Tyler had been too busy thinking and looking down at the book that he didn't even notice that he was so close.

One step was all it took.

He felt the dirt under him start to rumble. Tyler froze, terrified that if he moved even a muscle, the ground right under his feet would cave in. He heard the faint rumbles silence, and Tyler started to relax. His nerves calmed when he could no longer hear them. Tyler took another step forward. The ground under him quite literally swallowed him whole. Tyler let out the loudest screech he could muster, but it didn't do anything. He clawed at the dirt around him, trying to pull himself back up. There was what looked like an endless fall below him, and he was slipping. His nails weren't enough to keep him up, and Tyler slowly slid down the side of the muddy pitfall. He couldn't see a thing, mud and soggy dirt spraying up in his face as he slid down the tunnel like a dirty waterslide. He half-fell half-slid for what felt like forever, going down for ages and ages, until he finally started to drop at a ninety degree angle. He freefell for only two or three seconds, but it felt like forever just the same. Tyler thought his injury couldn't get any worse only moments before, but he was quickly proved wrong when he landed on his feet. He hit the ground with a loud thud that echoed in the large cavern that he'd fallen into, and Tyler screamed as loud as he could. He heard his own bone crack as he landed on his same leg first, his whole body weight crushing the injuried appendage. Tyler immediately toppled over, sobs fighting their way up his throat as he felt nearly the worst pain he'd ever experienced in his life. He couldn't ever imagine what it was like to break a bone, but this was simply horrific.

Tyler let himself just lay in a crumpled heap for a while, breathing heavily and letting tears slip down his muddy cheeks.

He knew that it was over.

As he looked around the cavern, his eyes finally adjusting to the light, he could see the true size of the tunnels that were in front of them. It was pitch black besides a few glowworms that hung from the top of the cavern. It was honestly beautiful, their neon blue glow comforting to Tyler in the darkness. He couldn't believe how big the worms were, but then again, he was so deep underground that there were probably a lot of things down here that he didn't know existed.

Tyler was nodding in and out of consciousness now, his heart slowing down as he had trouble keeping his eyes open. He could barely feel anything anymore, numbness settling over his body as he sat and tried to watch the neon glowworms above. He felt dizzy from looking up, so he decided to look down instead. That's when he saw the true extent of his injury.

The bone was sticking out of his jeans, ripping the fabric right in two where it should be together. Blood darkened the already black fabric, and spattered the end of his split bone, oozing out of the wound. Tyler immediately tore his gaze away, unable to stomach the sight. He lost his lunch, gagging and spitting so violently that his stomach lurched. Muddy spit dribbled from his lips, staining the clear liquid brown and orange. He spit one final time before he managed to scoot away from the horrific smelling vomit. His senses were overwhelmed with so many different smells and sensations at once.

Tyler glanced back up at the ceiling of the cavern, mesmerized by the glowworms that hung above. He didn't realize that he was still leaning back until it was too late. Tyler fell onto his back, but he didn't care. His reflexes were too weak to save him from falling. Now staring straight up, Tyler came to terms with the fact that this was how he was going to die. He was going to bleed out and die in these tunnels. He finally gave in to the pulling force of sleep, convinced that this was how it was going to end.

It seemed like God had other plans for Tyler.

Tyler could hear what sounded like a feminine voice calling, but he wasn't sure where it was coming from. He let out a low moan in pain, trying to bring his hand up to his face. He wasn't able to, as a soft hand that wasn't his own gripped onto his.

"Can .. hear .. sweetie?"

Tyler furrowed his brow, confused. He couldn't quite make out the words in between. The voice was slurred, cutting in and out like a bad radio signal.

He squeezed the hand that was grasping his, letting out a weak sob. He still couldn't open his eyes, pain screwing them shut. Tyler felt helpless, but he was comforted by another soft hand, this time on his cheek.

"S'okay.. calm .. and breathe .. safe.."

Tyler finally slipped out of consciousness, his expression softening with sleep.

 _Safe_.

 


	3. Chapter 3

🌻  
 **ser·en·dip·i·ty**  
 **noun**  
 **the occurrence and development of events by chance in a happy or beneficial way.**  
🌻  
 **song**  
 **bandito; twenty one pilots**  
🌻

**_edited._ **

Tyler woke up confused.

For one, he wasn't dead. And second, he couldn't feel the pain of his injury. Both were perplexing things, but he could probably figure it out. Tyler opened his eyes, but quickly screwed them shut again, shocked by the bright light of the sun. It was high in the sky, shining directly into the tent that he was in. Tyler was comfortable, all wrapped up in furs of some animal. He was wearing his white t-shirt —that was definitely not white anymore— and his jeans, but no shoes. There was a man standing just outside the tent, his arms crossed over his chest as he kept watch. He had dark chocolate brown curls peeking out from under his beanie, and small black plugs in his stretched earlobes. He seemed to have the growth of a beard on the sides of his face, but it was hard for Tyler to tell with the sunlight directly in his eyes.

Tyler's gaze turned to see that there was a girl watching him, her sky blue eyes soft with compassion as she offered him a smile. Tyler smiled back, a very weak one, still nervous and very worried as to where he was.

"You're lucky we decided to patrol those tunnels for the first time since last spring.. Otherwise nobody would have found you." The young girl spoke, her striking blonde hair an eyesore for Tyler. He couldn't stop staring, but it was more in awe than attraction. He thought she was pretty for sure, but he didn't really have anything there besides just the thought. Besides, she looked much younger than Tyler was. He was more interested in who the man was outside. Tyler didn't quite realize that he was being spoken to until the girl let out a small laugh. "Did you hit your head when you fell down or something?" She asked, humor in her tone.

Tyler saw the male outside turn and peek inside, curious as to who the girl was talking to. He made eye contact with Tyler for only a second before sneering and turning away. The brunette wasn't sure what his deal was, but he finally gathered the courage to speak. "N-no. I just hurt my leg." He whispered hoarsely.

The girl pursed her lips. "Yeah. I saw that. You broke your fibula I think, the bone was sticking out of your skin from that fall. You must have fallen for a while to do that." She grimaced. "I'm Jenna. That's Josh over there. Pete is out hunting, but you'll see him later."

"I'm Tyler.."

Jenna smiled. "That's a nice name. Where are you from and why were you in those tunnels, if you don't mind me asking?" She pressed, looking a little cautious and curious at the same time.

"Um.." Tyler stammered, "I found this book that told me about tunnels under my home. I'm from Dema."

Jenna's eyes blew wide. Her expression changed into confusion, her brow furrowed and mouth parted slightly. She didn't even get the chance to speak before the other person in the tent —Josh— spoke up. He turned around, walking over to Tyler with an intense look on his face. Tyler shrunk back in his makeshift bed.

"How do you know about Dema?" Josh asked harshly, his eyes narrowed with suspicion.

Tyler swallowed thickly, "Uhm.. I'm from Dema. I escaped.. but kind of by accident. I-I found this old book and it told me where the tunnels were. I fell into one from inside a mineshaft where I work." He explained, voice soft with shyness as he tried to ignore Josh's gaze burning on him. Tyler saw his jacket crumpled on the dirt floor behind him, so he reached for it. Tyler was shocked when he felt a much stronger, rough hand grab his wrist, startling a gasp out of the brunette.

"Don't; Josh. He's scared. He's not going to hurt us." Jenna warned, gently taking Josh's hand off of Tyler so he could get the book.

"That's what you always say. Next thing you know we got raiders left and right and we lose numbers." Josh spat angrily, but he still complied anyway. Jenna didn't seem to be swayed by anything that the young man said. She seemed like she was used to it.

Josh definitely seemed like the jittery type. A little too cautious for his own good. That's just the vibe that Tyler got.

She shook her head, holding a hand out for Tyler to hand her the book. "Can I see?" Jenna asked sweetly. Tyler nodded, giving her the large book. She looked just as intrigued as Tyler was the first time he read it. She flipped through the first few blank pages, coming to the very same pages that Tyler saw first.

Her and Josh looked at each other, exchanging looks for a second before looking back to Tyler at the same time.

"Where did you get this?" Josh demanded.

"What is it?" Tyler responded.

Josh's tone hardened with frustration. "You didn't answer my question."

"It's Bandito scripture from over a century ago." Jenna butted in, looking back down at the book to point to a small section where the ink was so washed up that it could barely be read. Tyler hadn't even seen it the first time he looked at the front pages. "See, right there. It says the last name _Dun_." Jenna pointed to the small signature in the bottom, and sure enough, it did spell out that name.

"It's impossible. My great great grandfather's journals went missing _over a century ago_. How in the Hell did they end up back in Dema?" Josh asked, completely dumbfounded. He didn't know what to believe. Tyler seemed just as confused, not even sure what a Bandito was.

"What's a Bandito? I saw that word once somewhere in there." Tyler pointed out. "I just found it under my work station table. It was stuck under there and so dusty I could barely even see it."

Jenna looked up at Tyler with a slightly saddened look. " _We are Banditos_. Sadly, we're not as great in numbers as we used to be, or as high up in power. Our numbers are dwindling, and we've been waiting for a sign that something could change for the last decade." She trailed off for a couple seconds before looking up at Tyler. "Maybe the change isn't as far away as we thought it was." She added vaguely, her gaze sharpening as it settled on Tyler.

Tyler suddenly felt nervous, like he was being too closely watched.

"Let's not get too ahead of ourselves. For all we know, we could be helping out a mole for the bishops, fattening him up and wasting resources, only for him to run off and report our exact location back our greatest threat." Josh snarled, clearly annoyed.

Jenna rolled her eyes, shaking her head with a sigh. "Don't listen to him. He's on his period." She said, cracking a small smile when she saw Josh's reaction. His nose wrinkled in disgust as he rise to his feet, throwing his hands up in the air.

"I give up!"

Tyler let out a small laugh. The dynamic between Josh and Jenna was pretty entertaining to watch. They were both young, but Jenna was definitely younger than Tyler. She still had a child's face, and he was sure that she wasn't even sixteen yet most likely. Josh looked to be around the same age as Tyler, though.

"You look young. Around the age most of the escapes happen. How old are you?" Jenna asked, almost as if she could read Tyler's mind.

"Seventeen."

"Wow, you look younger than that." Jenna pointed out, "I'm fourteen, and Josh acts like a baby but he's actually eighteen." She let out a snicker of laughter as Josh turned around to retort. She raised her pointer finger, _shhshing_ Josh before he could even speak. "Don't even try to say you're not, because you are."

Josh shook his head, realizing that it wasn't worth it. His expression suddenly lightened, and Tyler saw Josh smile for the first time. Josh walked out of sight, returning with another male at his side. They were talking cheerfully, and Josh seemed much more relaxed now. The tall, older man walked into the tent with Josh talking his ear off. "This must be our poor runaway." The man pointed out, offering a small smile to hopefully comfort the obviously still distressed Tyler.

"Yeah. He was out for a while." Jenna replied, "But his bone isn't out anymore and he's not screaming in pain, so I think he should be good to go." She stood up from the dirt floor of the tent, stretching her arms up over her head with a groan. She had been sitting with Tyler for a while to make sure he was still alive through the night.

"Good to go where?" Tyler asked.

Pete made eye contact with the brunette. "Back to our camp. We can't keep you here forever. You need more medical attention from our trained healer. Jenna is good, but she can only do so much as a trainee." The raven-haired man responded. "I know it's going to be really uncomfortable, but the camp isn't that far, and one of us is just going to probably carry you so you don't have to fuck up your leg anymore than it already is fucked."

"I'll do it. You need to take the lead, Wentz." Josh offered quickly, a little too quick. Perhaps he was just eager to prove himself to the others. He then kneeled down beside Tyler, taking off his parka to reveal his thick long-sleeve shirt below. "Take it. You'll need it more than me. I'm used to the cold." Josh said, his voice suddenly sounding much more heartfelt. Tyler was a bit taken aback at the sudden kindness, but he took it anyway. It was freezing cold, so Tyler definitely needed it. Without his hoodie or green jacket, it was nearly unbearable. Tyler was shivering like crazy as he pulled the massive fluffy coat on over him, tugging the hood up over his head.

With both Josh's and Pete's help, he was able to get up and hop onto Josh's back. Tyler could feel the other teen's heartbeat against his arms as he wrapped them around Josh's neck to keep himself up. Josh seemed to carry him so effortlessly, like Tyler didn't even weigh as much as a feather. The muscles in his arms flexed as he hiked Tyler further up his back, letting out a small wisp of breath. Tyler held on tight, a little scared that Josh could slip any second as the group of Banditos started their journey across the mountains. Snow wasn't falling anymore, but the flakes had stuck to the ground, dusting the dark grass white. They all continued forward, walking through many small valleys and up and down the mountains. Paths were carved into the dirt, ones that must have been used for centuries to be so beaten into the ground. The snow was packed down tightly from many footprints, many of old military boots and moccasins.

Tyler buried his face into the side of Josh's neck, stealing some of the heat from the other's skin. Josh was like a furnace. He constantly radiated heat, which was definitely what Tyler wanted right now. He wasn't used to the raw winds that tumbled over the mountains, so cold that it made him shiver even with the thick coat on. It made him wonder how anyone could live out here.

He felt Josh's grip tighten as he slipped on a leaf, stumbling for only a second before finding his footing again. Tyler yelped in surprise, grabbing Josh's jet black shirt between his fingers out of reflex. "Christ, help us." The dark brunette muttered, his breath faltering.

The journey felt like forever, but it was just because it was so cold. Tyler's toes had gone completely numb, his fingers not close behind as he held onto Josh with all of his strength. He was clearly getting weak from exhaustion, not to mention the hunger that was gnawing at his empty stomach so harshly that he was nauseous. "Just a bit further." Josh grumbled, winded. Even though he was stoic, Tyler could tell that he was getting tired too. The ice cold could take the energy out of anyone.

They were finally approaching, as when Tyler lifted his head from Josh's neck, he could see the fire of torches. The camp was huge, covering a pretty large area of the valley below. It was protected by a wooden spike fence that surrounded it on all sides, besides the entrances where Tyler could just barely see guards hiding in the bushes, waiting. The group finally got close enough to where the guards vanished from sight, but Tyler still knew that they were there. One or two of them rose up cautiously to check who was coming. When they saw familiar faces, they pulled their yellow bandanas down and hurried over.

"What happened? Did you get attacked? Who is the injured one?" One of them pressed.

Jenna shook her head. "We didn't get attacked, we found an escaped prisoner from Dema in the tunnels. His leg is broken, so we carried him from Monzettia Post up at the northern border." She responded.

Both of the guards' eyes blew wide. "Dema? How?" The other asked. His accent was thick, and Tyler could barely understand what he was saying.

"We don't know yet. He's still in shock. We need to find Laura. I did my best to stop the bleeding, but it could still get infected." Jenna urged, starting to walk forward. Both of the guards nodded, one pointing over to a curtain of moss over to the side. It hung over an open mouth of a cave in the side of the mountain.

"I need to report this to Bill. Take him to get patched up, and then come find me. I'm sure that he'll want your explanation of how you found the kid in the tunnel." Pete said, waiting for Jenna to acknowledge what he said before walking off in the opposite direction.

Jenna pulled the moss away so Josh could slip through with Tyler still on his back. It was much warmer inside, and Tyler could smell the musty scent of fire as well as feel the warmth. Torches lit up the inside of the cave, revealing countless carvings into the stone walls that were illuminated by the dancing orange glow of the fire.

Josh approached the woman who was busy working on something at a makeshift wooden desk towards the back of the cave. She heard his approach, turning around. She almost threw her arms around Josh, but stopped when she saw Tyler. Her expression changed to confusion. "What happened?" She asked.

"I know it sounds crazy, Laura, but I found him in the tunnels under Dema. He said he escaped. He got injured though, I think it's his fibula. It's broken. I managed to get the bone back in place, but I couldn't make a proper cast with the stuff I have at the northern post." Jenna explained, motioning for Josh to let Tyler down. Jenna helped him down to the ground, letting Tyler sit down on one of the handmade cots. He gasped in pain as he put even the slightest bit of weight on it, seething through his teeth. Tyler tenderly moved his leg so Laura could see it. A few stray tears slipped down his cheeks, the pain too great for him to suck it up. Tyler could feel Josh's eyes burning on him, but when the brunette looked up, they only connected gazes for a split second before Josh tore his away.

"It looks pretty bad, but you did good for first aid. It's the best you could do for what you had. I'm proud of you, Jen. But we need to get him a proper cast so he can actually be able to walk. It'll hurt, but it needs to be done otherwise he might never be able to stand on his own ever again. We don't want that." Laura explained, shaking her head. She'd only had to deal with broken bones a handful of times in her whole career, and this was the worst case she'd seen. It was much different than a child breaking their finger. "Jen, go get me some stuff to make a cast, you remember what to get, right?" Laura then asked, turning to the blonde.

Jenna nodded, hurrying off to go do what she was told. Laura then returned her gaze to Josh. "Let him squeeze your hand, this is really going to hurt." She ordered.

"Okay, ma'." Josh replied, obeying her word almost immediately. He knelt down in front of Tyler, holding out a hand for the teen. Tyler hesitantly took it, letting out a shaky breath. "Look at me, hey, look." Tyler heard Josh whisper, so he looked up from the ground. "You're gunna' be fine."

Tyler managed to crack a small smile. He felt his heart warm, but it wasn't just in any normal way. It was in a way that made his stomach fill with butterflies, made his cheeks feel warm. Tyler hadn't even noticed that Jenna was back, and she was working on building a cast with Laura. Josh was just too distracting to look at. The way he bit his tongue when he smiled, or the way he had a rough exterior, but could talk with all of the sweetest of a jar of honey. It simply melted Tyler from the inside out.

"Can you take your jeans off, please?"

Tyler's face felt even warmer than before as he did what he was told. There was no used in putting the cast over his jeans. Left now in boxers, Tyler felt even more vulnerable than before.

"One, two, three."

Tyler didn't even notice that they were working on him until he felt the bolt of searing agony surge up his leg. They had to get it into the cast, which wasn't an easy task. It required a lot of pressure and a lot of pain. Tyler gasped out loud, squeezing Josh's hand as tightly as he possibly could. Josh even winced. He carefully wrapped his other arm around Tyler's shoulders, pulling the teen into his chest comfortingly. Tyler let out a pained sob into the other's neck, gripping onto his hand so hard that his arm shook.

Jenna was apologizing profusely, but she had to do what she was told.

With one final jolt, the most painful one, the cast was in the proper place on Tyler's leg. Tyler cried out in agony, a plethora of sobs escaping his lips as he could still feel the burn of pain aggravating the damaged nerves. Josh rubbed circles into his back, trying his best to comfort the other despite his awkward nature. Tyler felt like he was going to pass out any second from the pain, but Josh helped him stay awake. Tyler could feel the other's pulse, showing how nervous he actually was. His heart must had been beating a million miles a minute. "It's okay. It's done." Josh murmured softly into Tyler's ear.

Tyler let out a few shaky breaths, before finally pulling away from Josh. He wiped his tears away with the sleeve of Josh's borrowed parka. He was silent now, completely exhausted.

"We should give him a chance to rest. Josh," Laura nudged the older teen, "Please accompany Jenna to go talk to your father. Pete will need help explaining."

Josh nodded, rising up to his feet and following Jenna to leave. Once they both left, Tyler felt even more alone than he'd ever felt. Josh's close contact had made Tyler feel so safe, and it scared him. He'd never felt that way before with anyone. He couldn't even explain what the feeling was. Tyler didn't really have much time to think about it, as the moment that he laid down, engulfed in comfortable furs, he started to drift off. The musky smell of Josh on his parka helped lull the brunette to sleep.

 


	4. Chapter 4

🌻  
 **schwellenangst**  
 **noun**  
 **a fear of, or aversion to, crossing a threshold or entering an unknown place.**  
🌻  
 **song**  
 **medicine; daughter (remix)**  
🌻

**_edited._ **

Turns out that being crippled isn't the most fun experience. Tyler didn't expect to be bedridden for days, but that's exactly what happened. He didn't really feel like getting up anyway. It hurt to even be awake, so Tyler ended up just sleeping most of the day away, only waking up for meals in between naps. He needed to rest his injured body, and he was definitely given the chance to. He wasn't even sure how long had passed, but Laura had kept him doing exercises that she said would help his leg heal faster to pass the time. Him being kind of in his own little corner of the cave didn't stop a few kids from stealing glances, curiously wondering what Tyler was doing there and who he was. The children of the Banditos were much different from the children of Dema. Dema's children were so silent and well-behaved that you wouldn't even know that there were kids around. They were taught from the youngest age that if they misbehave, they will be given something to cry about. The children of the Banditos were much, much different.

They were loud, constantly yelling and screaming and playing. They ran in and out of the cave, talking to Laura for a few moments before bolting back out. The only thing that reminded Tyler of home were the coordinated outfits. Everyone wore a mixture of camouflage, black, and yellow. Almost all of the Banditos, including the children, all had yellow striped bandanas. It was so strange for Tyler to see someone wearing color without having to hide. He had been given a big fluffy coat of his own so he didn't have to steal Josh's any longer, but he had to admit that he missed the musky scent of the other. It was calming. He shook those thoughts out of his head, reminding himself that he wasn't anything close to what Josh would look for. He didn't even know if Josh _looked_ that way anyway.

Tyler found himself thinking of home.

He missed his mom, who he was sure was worried sick. He missed Brendon, who was probably lonely without him. He missed his ukulele, which he hadn't played in a while, but missed nonetheless. He missed a lot of things. It was both a blessing and a curse to finally be free. Tyler wasn't sure what he was supposed to feel anymore.

It made him feel horrible thinking about his mom. She had already lost her husband, and now she had lost her oldest son. He was the only one who was alive long enough to remember, so he was the only link left.

Now, that link was gone.

Tyler heard someone approaching his cot, snapping him out of thought. He was surprised to see none other than Josh, looking down at him for a solid few seconds before he said anything. "How are you feeling..?" He asked, his tone a little awkward. He clearly didn't really know how to sound like he cared, but that wasn't a problem. Tyler was just thankful that the raven-haired teen was trying.

"Good. Just resting up." Tyler replied with a small smile. Josh smiled as well, but he couldn't keep his gaze matched with the brunette for long.

"That's good.." Josh trailed off. It took him another couple seconds to speak up again. "Are you feeling well enough for a little walking?"

Tyler glanced down at his leg, pursing his lips slightly. "I think so. I've been trying to do exercises in the cave, and they don't hurt anymore, so I should be able to as long as it's not for a super long time." He replied, rising to his feet. It hurt a little bit, but the pain quickly subsided and Tyler was able to walk with only a small limp.

He stayed close to Josh, using him as a support as they walked out of the cave and out of one of the back entrances of the camp. It was almost hidden in a group of bushes, and lead to a tunnel that went straight through the mountain. Tyler had never quiet seen anything like it. He let out a shaky breath, vapor spilling from his chapped lips. The tunnel was freezing cold, but they walked through it anyway. Josh offered Tyler his coat again, but the brunette refused. He just shivered, walking with a limp in his gait, pressing close to Josh. Their shoulders were brushing, just the subtle contact enough to make them both blush.

Tyler couldn't really tell if it was just cold though, tinting the other's cheeks red.

Judging by the way he kept glancing over to check Tyler's cheeks, Tyler's first instinct might have been correct after all.

Josh reached for his bow and arrow that had been slung over his shoulder once they got out of the tunnel. The other side gave way to dense forests, where Tyler assumed the Banditos must hunt. "We're getting close to the hunting grounds. I can show you a few things if you want." Josh pointed out, confirming Tyler's thought, "Have you ever shot a bow?"

Tyler shook his head.

"Do you want to learn?"

Tyler shrugged. "Sure."

"We'll just use the tree as practice for now. Maybe someday you'll be able to shoot game, but for now let's just stick to inanimate objects." Josh said with an amused smile.

Tyler let out a small chuckle in response. "Sounds good to me. I don't know if I have the heart to kill something just yet." He replied quietly, standing next to Josh now that he was stationary.

Josh walked around Tyler, stopping once he was behind the brunette. Josh held his bow out for Tyler to take, so he did so. Josh helped him hold it correctly, using his own hands to gently move Tyler's so his were in the right place. He had to resist the urge to warm the brunette's ice cold hands with his own. Oh how he wanted to hold them. Josh had to shake those thoughts out of his head, furrowing his brow as he focused. "Use the little platform right here to rest the arrow on, that's what it's for." Josh whispered, his breath rustling the recently cut brunette hairs on the back of Tyler's neck. Tyler did as he was told, letting the arrow fall into place on the small platform just beside the sight. Josh's other hand rested on Tyler's hip, turning the brunette's body so he was standing properly. Tyler was too busy focusing on the bow and arrow to realize. "Alright, now use the sight and try to aim right for the middle of the tree. Dead center. Once you're ready to fire, draw back as far as you can pull it, and let go. Only use the pads of your fingers when you draw back, if you wrap your fingers around the string, it'll roll off them and slow the string down." Josh mumbled, letting both of his hands drop and taking a step back so Tyler could shoot.

The brunette's whole body was still, even his shivering ceasing so he could focus on correctly firing the arrow. He didn't want to disappoint. Tyler drew back with all of his strength, inhaling through his nose sharply, and holding it in. This helped him focus on the target.

He let go.

 _Thunk_.

Tyler smiled, seeing that he hit just an inch or two to the right of the center. It was close enough. He lowered the bow, his smile turning into a crooked grin as he saw Josh's expression. The raven-haired boy's jaw was dropped, surprise in his eyes. "Beginner's luck." Tyler dismissed, handing the bow back to Josh.

Josh smiled.

He took it as a challenge, drawing another arrow. Josh stilled, holding his breath as well. He let go of it, and Tyler heard a much louder _thunk_. The arrow had sunken into the bark around 1/3 of the way, showing the sheer force behind Josh's shot. Not to mention he also got it smack dab in the center where he'd pointed. Josh just had much more practice, and much stronger arms.

"Expert's luck." Josh said as he lowered the bow, smiling.

Tyler couldn't help but chuckle. "Alright, hotshot, let's see your game hunting." He challenged.

Josh's eyes sparked with competition, and he immediately accepted. "Gladly." He responded, motioning for Tyler to follow. The brunette followed Josh for what felt like a while, but only about twenty minutes had passed when Josh finally tracked down a deer. That wasn't much for how long it usually took, but to be fair, Josh was a hunter at heart. He held an arm out to stop Tyler from walking on any further, pressing a finger to his lips as he crept forward. Tyler got down low to the ground with Josh, trying his best to not hurt his aching muscles. He didn't want to foil the kill, so Tyler ended up staying back. They weren't very far away from the doe, but Tyler didn't want to go any further and mess it up. He stayed absolutely still, only a few feet behind Josh. The raven-haired boy drew back his arrow, still as a tree.

Tyler saw the young doe look up.

_Too late._

The arrow whizzed through the air much too fast for Tyler to track. He saw it when it went straight into the head of the doe. Blood spurted outwards, and the doe didn't even get the chance to cry out before it was dead. Josh leapt to his feet, approaching the body. Tyler followed, but he felt a little sick to his stomach seeing the dead creature. The arrow had completely come out on the other side, oozing blood on each side. It reminded Tyler too much of seeing his own injury, so he didn't look until Josh retrieved his arrow out of the head of the dead deer. Josh mumbled something under his breath as he tied the doe's back legs and front legs together in pairs, before lifting it up and holding it on his shoulder. Josh handed Tyler the bow, using all of his strength to carry the doe.

The walk home was silent, and once they got back to camp, Tyler was exhausted. The cold had really taken the life out of him. Tyler hadn't ever seen where Josh lived in the camp, but as he followed the raven-haired teen, he realized that's where they were heading.

The hut was empty, but Tyler could tell that others lived here. There were three big beds, all unmade and messy. Furs and aging blankets scattered over the makeshift mattresses. There were empty bowls on the aging oak table from breakfast, a sign that they all left in a hurry. To be fair, the Duns were a busy family. All of the younger children, Josh's siblings, spent their days exploring around camp and doing a whole lot of nothing. Either that or they were helping their mother, who Tyler had already met. She was the main healer, and Jenna was her apprentice of some kind. Tyler had heard Josh's dad's name once, which was Bill. Bill seemed to be at the head of everything, a leader, or something close to that.

Josh busied himself with the deer he'd caught not too long prior, having to gut the animal himself since his brother wasn't here. Usually Jordan would take care of that, but Josh had made the kill, so it was his responsibility to partially prepare what they would end up having for dinner that night. Tyler felt queasy just thinking about it, so he kept his gaze low and far away from the countertop where Josh worked.

"Have you ever eaten deer before?"

Tyler didn't have to think for long, as he had no idea what he was being fed most of the time while he was in Dema. They just handed them food, and they ate it. "No." He replied.

"It's kind of tougher than beef, a little gamey, but I like it. If you've never had it before it might seem weird, but we don't have much opportunity to raise cattle out here. The winters get so harsh that we loose calves." Josh explained, letting out a low sigh. He felt bad for animals, especially when the animals that they lost often were the most important ones.

"Oh.. I wouldn't know." Tyler said with a snort of laughter. He fell silent, trying not to focus on the meaty ripping of flesh that was caused by Josh gutting the creature. The sound was horrific, but Tyler ended up tuning it away as he completely zoned out. The brunette simply stared at his feet, identifying every single scuff and stain of dirt in his black Vans. He stared for a while, not even thinking about how long he sat on one of the the messy beds.

"Do you have a lot of family here?" Tyler asked quietly, crossing his arms over his chest with a sigh. It made him feel a little envious that he wasn't able to even check if his mom or siblings were okay. Tyler swallowed his anger.

Josh shrugged. "Yeah. I guess. I have my mom, dad, two sisters, and a brother. You already met my mom, but my dad is rarely ever around. He's always too busy running everything." The teen replied. His tone was almost spiteful, which surprised Tyler. He seemed to be annoyed with that fact.

"Is he not around enough?" Tyler asked, realizing how personal that question was only after he said it. When Josh didn't answer, Tyler realized he may have pushed a button too far. "Sorry. You don't have to answer that..—"

"It's fine."

Tyler sighed again, gnawing the inside of his cheek, unsure of what to say. He watched as Josh finished what he was doing, packing the biggest sections of meat and putting them in what looked like a makeshift freezer. He had to throw out a few scraps, dropping the bones in a pile near the freezer before cleaning up the countertop. When he was done, there was little evidence that anything had even happened. Josh then walked over to Tyler, sitting down on the rickety bed beside him. Exhaustion made Josh's eyes look dull, and he clearly had bags under them. Josh looked like he definitely didn't get enough sleep. Tyler saw a smudge of deer's blood on the side of the older teen's neck, catching his eye. The brunette licked his finger, wiping the moonlight pale skin clean with his damp fingertip. When he was done, he let his hand linger there for a second or a couple too long, his gaze flickering up to meet Josh's. Josh furrowed his brow, looking a little confused, but at the same time, leaning in just as well. Tyler suddenly realized what he was doing, stopping himself and dropping his hand with a slight ' _ahem_ '. The brunette quickly rose to his feet, panic arising in his veins when he started to think of why Josh would come that close to him.

He was seeing things.

Tyler walked out of the hut quickly, shaking his head and running a few fingers through his hair in distress. He couldn't figure out what was happening with his mind, but he had plenty of other things to be worrying about right now. Josh shouldn't be one of them. He should be worrying about his injury, worrying about his mom and siblings back home, worrying about Brendon, worrying about how and if he would ever be able to see him home ever again.

It was strange how much Tyler's thoughts could consume him when he was left alone. He returned to his cot to rest, and even when he pulled the furs over his body and tried to sleep, he wasn't able to keep his mind quiet. There was so much that he was worrying about right now.

A raven-haired teen was one of them.


	5. Chapter 5

🌻  
 **melancholy**  
 **noun**  
 **a feeling of pensive sadness, typically with no obvious cause.**  
🌻  
 **song**  
 **ribs; lorde**  
🌻

**_edited._ **

It had been a long time since Tyler was able to pick up a notebook. He'd lost his old one almost a year prior, but every time he got the chance, he'd snatch one from work. They weren't provided, so Tyler would always have to steal one. He'd never been caught, so he kept doing it. Tyler really missed the one he'd lost a while back. It had so many ideas and songs, now lost to time. Tyler found himself bitter, still laying in his cot for the third day straight. The last few weeks had been a blur, full of worry and anxiety about a lot of different things. Tyler was constantly pushing one of them out of his head.

Laura offered to distract him with a handmade journal that she hadn't used yet, since the brunette truly didn't have anything else better to do. Tyler would gladly take any distraction right now. He hadn't ever written with a feather and quill before, but it was actually pretty cool. It was the only thing they had.

Tyler ended up sitting in his cot for hours, thinking back and trying to remember old lyrics that had been lost to time. He ended up remembering the majority of one of his songs, one of his oldest, actually. It was his first that he could recall ever writing, which made it even crazier to him that he managed to remember it. As soon as he finished writing it out, he let out a low sigh and stared. His handwriting was messy, probably too messy for anyone to read, but that wasn't a problem to him. He was too scared to let anyone ever read his writings. It was his one place to be vulnerable without fear of being rediculed or found out.

_I know where you stand. Silent, in the trees._

_And that's, where I am. Silent, in the trees._

_Why won't you speak, where I happen to be?_

_Silent, in the trees. Standing cowardly._

Tyler almost wanted to cry just looking at those lyrics again. It highlighted one of the most terrifying moments in his life, a memory that scared the shit out of him to even think about. He hadn't been writing songs for long, as his oldest song was only from earlier in the year, but earlier in the year was probably the most terrifying time in his life.

He turned to music as his only escape.

_I can feel your breath. I can feel my death._

_I want to know you, I want to see._

_I want to say._

_Hello._

If there was a God, he was watching over Tyler when he wrote that. That section always got him. It called out for help, help that couldn't be given to him. Religion was strictly forbidden, but his parents had always taught him that there was something above them that wasn't the bishops. There was something good that watched over them. It made Tyler feel safe when he felt like that it was all over.

Tyler wasn't left alone for long though, as soon enough, he was being pestered by some curious children again. It happened often, and Tyler had done his best to ignore them. It got more difficult to pretend however when they started tugging at his clothes to get him to turn and then said nothing. Either that, or they would just laugh amongst themselves. It was annoying, but Tyler was rarely controlled by a temper. He was pretty level-headed when it came to that, as he had all younger siblings that he had to help raise. Nothing was more annoying than Zack was as a young child. Despite that, Tyler's patience was wearing thin once one of them started messing with his stuff.

He turned around just in time to see a young girl reach for his ripped green jacket.

"Hey!"

She flinched, scampering away. The rest of the kids looked stunned, startled that Tyler had yelled at them by the looks of it. They stared at him for a couple seconds, but quickly ran out of the cave. Tyler felt bad for scaring her, but it was reflex to protect the only thing he had left to remind him of home. Thankfully, they didn't come back for the rest of the day. He was left in peace after snapping momentarily like that.

Tyler was bored for the rest of the day though.

He could only distract himself with the notebook for so long. Tyler wanted to feel like he was doing something, which was difficult when he was still recovering from his injury. It was getting better and better every day, but it wasn't enough for him to travel with the rest of the Banditos. Josh had left that morning and wouldn't be back for the next few days with another guy who Tyler couldn't quite remember the name of. Ryan, he thought, possibly. They also brought a red-head woman that Tyler had seen a few times around camp.

She often made googly eyes at Josh, which lit a fire under Tyler's feet whenever he saw it. He wasn't sure why, but it just annoyed him. She didn't even attempt to hide it, often touching Josh even when the raven-haired teen would laugh nervously and shy away. She was relentless.

Tyler sighed. It really wasn't any of his business anyway. He wouldn't even see him for a while. Tyler was a little thankful, hoping that it would help him forget about his unneeded jealousy.

He rose to his feet, scratching the back of his neck absentmindedly as he walked slowly to the exit of the cave. Tyler missed the warmth the moment he stepped outside. He understood why none of the girls had short hair just then. It was so cold with his hair buzzed. Even the guys tended to have unkept hair, thick and curly as it had not been cut in a while. Tyler had even seen a man with a full beard and a ponytail at one of the late night bonfires he'd attended last week. It was strange, but cool. Tyler was letting himself get too distracted with other things. He tended to let his attention wander as he thought about way too many things at once.

Tyler walked over to the bonfire in the middle of camp, scuffing his toes on the snowy dirt below. He had nothing else to do besides wander around, but he at least wanted to be warm. The clearing where the bonfire sat was full of Banditos. They often sang and cheered, trying to keep the morale high. One of them was playing a drum, another playing a xylophone made of animal ribs. It was a strange, but interesting sight. Music seemed to be very important to their group, and Tyler liked that. Music was important to him too, even if it was mostly forbidden in Dema. He liked a lot of things that he shouldn't.

"Hey, _dude_."

Tyler looked up from the bonfire, squinting his eyes to protect them from the sun that was high in the sky now. He felt his stomach drop when he saw the kids he'd yelled at earlier standing behind the girl in front of him. She looked the same age or so as Jenna, but her face was much more mature. She could easily be older. "I'm so—" Tyler didn't even get the chance to speak more than a word before he felt red hot pain scorch his cheek. His head was tossed to the left, and he immediately pressed his hand to the spot where he was slapped. Tyler definitely didn't expect that, but the blue-haired girl looked much calmer after she did it. A few snickers of laughter from the other Banditos gathered around the fire made Tyler's cheeks feel even warmer with embarrassment.

She let out a breath through her nostrils, obviously trying to calm herself down. "Next time just ask them nicely, please." The girl said. She then turned on her heel and left, the kids in awe as they followed close behind.

Tyler was still in shock, staring down at the ground.

"Advice. Don't mess with Ashley and the kids. She has absolutely no sense of decency." A red-haired man mumbled, a grin on his lips as he let out a small yawn. Tyler glanced over, one eye clamped shut in pain. The man glanced over as well, his grin faltering. "You don't look familiar, kid." He added expectantly.

Tyler finally found his words again, shrugging a shoulder. "I escaped. I've only been here a few weeks." The moment he said that he realized that he'd forgotten something huge. He'd actually forgotten his own eighteenth birthday. It wasn't really that important to him, but it reminded him about home. Birthdays generally weren't celebrated, but citizens were permitted to have parties if they wished. He could only imagine how his mother must feel right now.

"I'm Gerard. What's your name, kiddo?"

"Tyler."

Gerard cracked a smile. "So you're the one that Josh has been speaking so fondly of. I don't blame him. You're pretty adorable." He replied with a laugh. The compliment caught Tyler off guard. He wasn't sure how to feel about it. Did Gerard just call him cute? As if sensing Tyler's discomfort, the red-haired man waved a hand in dismissal. "Don't worry. I was just pointing it out. I'm not interested at all. I got my own already." He added. That eased Tyler's worry that the man was coming onto him, but he also couldn't shake the knowledge that Josh had been speaking fondly of him.

What did that even entail?

"Oh. Okay.." Tyler replied awkwardly. He wasn't sure how to respond to that besides just with a simple 'okay'. He returned his gaze to his feet, trying to push the thought of being 'spoken fondly of' out of his head.

Tyler could feel the herbal medicine that Laura had given him wearing off. His leg was starting to ache from walking, even sitting making it hurt. He needed to lay down. It was a perfect excuse to walk away and go do something else. The brunette rose to his feet, stumbling for a second before quickly gaining his footing again. He headed back to the cave, wincing at the tingly feeling in his leg as he walked. Laura was back, working on someone else who looked a lot more injuried that Tyler was right now. The dark-skinned man was pretty beaten up, but the thing that made Tyler's stomach churn was the puncture wound that went all the way through his arm. Straight through. It was strange that he just couldn't seem to take his eyes off of it.

"Attack at the northern border. That's what the Locals' spears will do. They're gaining territory on us so quickly now." Laura said with a sigh. "It's only a matter of time before someone gets killed. They're getting more and more power hungry every single day."

Tyler tipped his head to one side slightly. "Locals? Like the local people who live here? Aren't you guys technically locals?" He asked.

"No. There's more than one group of outsiders that live out here. Different escaped people had different ideas. We were all Banditos at one point, but people change, and wanted different things in the beginning. The ones who wouldn't follow our ways were exiled, and made their own congregations over the years. The Locals, or Fairly Locals, are the ones that hate the Banditos the most. Our only allies are the society of the FPE. They differ from us, but they don't want to destroy us, unlike The Locals." She explained as he worked to dress the man's wounds. He was convulsing from shock, his eyes distant. It was terrifying to see, but there wasn't much that Laura could do about being in shock.

"How long have the Banditos existed?" Tyler asked, stuffing his hands in his pockets.

Laura thought for a moment. "Just over a century. Great great grandfather Dun was one of the first Banditos to ever exist. He wrote that book that you found. I still don't know how it ended up back in Dema, though. The journals were thought to be destroyed many years ago." She responded, brow furrowing in concentration.

Tyler nodded, his curiosity satisfied by her answers. He then complained subtly about his pain, to which Laura gave him more herbal remedies for it. They actually worked pretty well, which surprised Tyler. He'd only ever used created medicine, so it was cool to see how herbal medicine worked. It was all that Laura had access to in the unforgiving wilderness.

Now feeling a little better, Tyler retreated to his cot to sleep the rest of the day off. He didn't have much that he could do, and he didn't really feel like going back outside after his two rather strange encounters.

It didn't take him long to drift off, the warmth of the cave coupled with the low hums from Laura to soothe the injured man she was treating putting him to sleep quite easily.

Tyler woke up in a cold sweat what felt like mere moments after he closed his eyes.

He wasn't sure why, but his dream had jolted him awake. He wasn't having a nightmare, so it was confusing to just wake up like that. He could feel the sheen of sweat forming on his forehead, causing him to use his sleeve to wipe it away. The damp fabric of his long-sleeve shirt was annoying the shit out of him, but he laid back down regardless. Nobody was moving in the cave, and the night sky outside was as dark as could be. It had to have been around midnight or so judging by the position of the moon. Tyler rolled on his other side, trying to get comfortable again.

He heard someone walk into the cave about ten minutes into his attempts to fall back asleep. Tyler glanced over his shoulder, surprised to see a familiar face looking back at him.

"Josh?" Tyler whispered in disbelief. The raven-haired man was supposed to be at an outpost in the East. He definitely wasn't supposed to be here.

Josh quickly approached, pressing a finger to his lips. The raven-haired boy was soaking wet from the looks of it. He looked like he'd run straight through a windstorm. Judging by the thunder and pounding rain that raged on outside, Tyler got the idea that's exactly what he'd done. He motioned for Tyler to follow, taking a step back. Tyler shook his head, confusion knitted into his expression. He was terrified of thunder, and there was barely a chance that he would even think about going outside in that. When Tyler didn't come with him, Josh just waved faster, taking another step back. The brunette couldn't just ignore him, so he hauled himself out of the cot and slipped his jacket on. After putting on his shoes and a few layers, Tyler pulled his hood up over his head and followed Josh. The older boy nodded, turning and bolting outside. Tyler had to run to keep up, following the fresh footprints outside in the mud. The snow was being melted by the freezing rain, creating an devastatingly slippery path. Tyler almost fell multiple times, but managed to stay on his feet as he ran through the tunnel where the footprints led. It was the hunting tunnel from a few weeks earlier, which made sense as to why Josh would go there.

As soon as he turned the first corner to go towards the forest, he was pulled by his shoulder to the side. He yelped in surprise as he was tugged to the right, then pressed into the muddy wall of the tunnel. His back scraped against the dirty stone, making him seethe.

"What are you—"

Tyler immediately silenced when he felt foreign lips on his own. His eyes slipped shut as he melted into Josh's grip, the silence between them becoming almost deafening. Josh was grabbing him tighter, getting a grip on both of the boy's hips. Tyler gasped, which the other took advantage of almost instantly. Josh slipped his tongue between the brunette's peony pink lips, stealing a shy whimper from him.

Tyler had seemed to forget how to breathe, his lungs burning in his chest as he threaded his fingers through Josh's soaking wet curls.

Josh was well beyond eager, kissing Tyler harder. The younger boy was completely breathless now, the air being stolen right from his lungs. Stunned into silence, Tyler had to pull away to take a breath. Both of them were blushing, but Josh hid his face in Tyler's neck so the brunette couldn't see it.

There was a booming crack of thunder outside, making Tyler jump and grip onto Josh tighter out of reflex. He hated it when the thunderstorm was close. He could stand distant rumbles, but the sudden, loud noises always got him.

Tyler's heart was thudding in his chest at a million miles a minute for more than one reason now.

Josh drew away from the brunette's neck, meeting gazes with him again with a small smile. He used his thumb to wipe away some mud that streaked across Tyler's cheek, letting his hand linger there.

"What I've wanted to do.."

 


	6. Chapter 6

🌻  
 **hiraeth**  
 **noun**  
 **a homesickness for a home that you can't return to, or never was in the first place.**  
🌻  
 **song**  
 **broken promise land; claire**  
🌻

**_edited._ **

Zack was nervous.

He never got nervous, so the feeling was strange. He wasn't ever as cautious as Tyler was, or used to be. The loss of his brother had hit the young teen like a freight train, and he could tell that it hurt the rest of the Josephs as well. They were all hurting, the aura of their complex heavy and thick with sadness. It was a sadness that none of them could shake.

Zack wondered how long it would be until he was the next one to go. Was it a plan of some kind to make the Josephs disappear until there were none left? They were well known for their ideology and past of disobedience, so it was no secret that they were being hunted.

He pulled the sleeve of his pale grey hoodie up over his hands, the cold nipping his trembling fingers. It was very cold in the building, heating not common in Dema. He looked up when he heard the door of the room he was in open, which was a small interrogation room by the looks of it. A simple metal table and old chair for Zack to sit in. As soon as the morning came a few weeks ago when Tyler disappeared, all of the family had been hauled to the prison. They were placed in holding, waiting to each be individually interrogated.

Even Brendon had been taken in for questioning. Anyone and everyone who was close to Tyler was a suspect, but Zack wasn't exactly sure for what. If the bishops were questioning people, then that had to mean they _didn't_ know what happened to Tyler. That gave Zack the growing suspicion that his brother hadn't been captured or killed.

He had escaped.

" **We are here to ask you just a few questions about citizen number o' o' twenty one, Tyler Robert Joseph. I'm sure you know of his disappearance by now.** "

Zack knew this bishop. He knew because of Tyler's troubled adolescence that he had to witness. He'd been old enough to remember it.

It was **Nico**.

"Why would I tell you anything? Even if I did know, I would never tell you where or what happened to my brother." Zack sneered, biting the edge of his sleeve to relieve frustration. He wished he knew what happened, but he was clueless. He missed Tyler like a piece of him was gone. Even though they didn't always get along, that was still his brother. The amount of times that Tyler sacrificed his reputation for Zack was uncountable. He was just a selfless person. "You can shove it."

 **Nico** was unwavering, standing idly as he must have been thinking what to do. " **Do you really want to follow in the footsteps of your fallen family members? Is their life of deviance worth your eventual death at the hands of the ones who control you?** " **Nico** rumbled.

Even though Zack wouldn't admit it, he was scared now at the bishop's threatening words. "I don't care. At least I'll die the way that he would have wanted me to. In defiance to whatever freak show you asshats are trying to run." He snapped back, crossing his arms close to his chest and leaning back in the chair he was sitting in. "You know full well that my dad didn't disappear, and neither did Tyler. You guys just have your heads so far up your own asses that just the mention of someone even thinking twice about something you say gives you all brain aneurisms."

 **Nico** didn't respond for a while, clearly in thought deciding what he was going to do. He often was the decision maker in the council of bishops, so he was no doubt the smartest. He knew when to pursue, and when not to. " **I can see that this conversation will undoubtedly end up going nowhere, so I don't think we need to continue. I'm going to take your word as truth that you do not know what happened to your brother, but we will be watching. We always will find what we're looking for, whether you like it or not.** " **Nico** responded, stepping aside from the door. He reached out to the doorknob, grabbing it with gnarled fingers. His deadpan, soft-spoken voice went silent as he now stood still, waiting for Zack to leave. Zack rose to his feet with no hesitation, shoving his hands into his pockets as he walked out of the interrogation room. He was then guided by a prison guard, who looked almost like a SWAT officer. Heavily armored, with a rather hefty gun in his hand that he didn't use to grab one of Zack's arms. Zack narrowed his eyes, but he didn't protest. The tall guard led him to the holding area, where the rest of his family was. Brendon was there as well, but he'd already been interviewed. His eyes were wide, wild with anxiety as his gaze quickly shifted between different places. He finally met Zack's gaze, and he motioned for the young teen to come closer. Zack waited until he was let free, and quickly approached Brendon.

"I don't think they did anything to him. He had to have escaped. He left work on the day he disappeared so eagerly. Something is definitely up, and I know it." Brendon whispered urgently, his eyes wild. He had bags piled under them, as if he hadn't slept properly for weeks. Zack hadn't either. The whole family was on edge, and so was Tyler's closest friend. They were all wondering who would disappear next. Zack was scared to think that it was going to be him.

"What are we supposed to do?" Zack responded with a furrowed brow.

"We need to know what the bishops are planning." Brendon whispered harshly, keeping his voice almost too low for Zack to catch. He grasped Zack's shoulder, pulling the young teen closer so he could hear. "We need to know their hand."

Zack's brow furrowed. "But how? They're so secretive. Not even I could crack one if I tried, and they'd kill me if I tried too." He responded cautiously.

Brendon's gaze lit up with an idea, a smile suddenly quirking at the dark brunette's lips. "We can steal them. I've heard rumors of where they keep their plans. Do you remember the chapel that you had to get baptized in when you were ten?" He asked.

The second oldest Joseph son nodded.

"Well, they keep their plans in a back room that isn't guarded during their worship periods. They're all so tied up in what they're doing that they don't even think about it. I've heard a few of my buds talking about it." Brendon replied, excitement making his voice shake.

"How did your _buds_ figure out about this?"

"Do you really think that Tyler is the only one who wanted to escape? Citizens have been trying for years, decades, _centuries!_ As long as there has been imprisonment, there have been those who wonder what it's like on the other side of that wall."

Zack hadn't thought about it that way before, but it made sense. There was no way that Tyler was the only one who thought of what it could possibly be like to be free. Zack thought about that a lot too. That just made him want to find his brother even more.

"I'll do it."

Brendon grinned at first, but it quickly melted away when he realized the possible suicide mission he was sending Zack on. "Just be careful, kid," Brendon added, his grip faltering on Zack's shoulder. "I really don't know if I could ever forgive myself if something happened to you."

Zack nodded his head once more, breaking away from Brendon so they didn't seem too suspicious for speaking for that long. He went back to his family, who were all still visibly shaken because of the intense interrogation. He felt his heart break in two for his mom, who was numb with the emotional agony of loosing her son. Tears were still slipping down her red cheeks, but her expression was emotionless as she held her two youngest close. Zack didn't even know what to say. There was nothing he could say.

They were let go soon after, but were placed on something similar to house arrest for the next few weeks. Brendon got the same punishment, so Zack assumed that he wouldn't see Tyler's old friend for a while.

The following evening was probably the longest one Zack had ever experienced. His mother didn't make dinner, instead Zack that he was responsible for it. When he asked, he was immediately snapped at for disobeying. He would have to learn how to be the man of the house, he was told. Zack had never seen his mom so angry before, and she quickly retreated back into her room afterwards.

That was when Zack knew that he needed to find Tyler.

After doing as he was told, and then putting the two remaining Joseph siblings to bed, Zack was finally left alone to think. He knew that he would need to do it, but he was terrified. He was about to do something that could get him in a lot of trouble, trouble that not even Tyler could compete with. It made him think back to Nico's words, who had warned him of his destiny. It seemed as if all of the Joseph males were doomed, but Zack was going to change that. He was going to find Tyler, bring him home, and do something about Dema's horrific ways. He wasn't going to let Jay fall to the same fate as his father, or Tyler.

Zack went to the closet door, opening it from right to left instead of left to right. It was Tyler's side of the closet that they shared. He took the brunette's old work coat, which was jet black. It would help provide some camouflage under the cover of darkness. Also, it helped Zack feel closer to his lost brother. After contemplating his plan for a bit, Zack was ready to go. He knew what he needed to do, and he wasn't about to let Brendon down. He felt strong, having been trusted by a much older figure to do such a dangerous job.

Zack slunk through the dark hallway, and out the front door of their apartment. He made sure to shut the door carefully, so he wouldn't wake any neighbors. He then scurried down the stairs, pulling his hood up over his head to mask his identity. He had to go only a district over to Andre, which wasn't that far away. He didn't want to be outside like this for long anyway.

The raven-haired boy was now well on his way. He didn't run into any of the bishops, at least face to face. He did catch a glimpse of **Andre** himself heading over to the chapel for their nightly worships. It didn't surprise Zack that he would see him, because after all he was walking through the bishop's own district. He felt so much better once he got to the chapel, having closely tailed **Andre** the whole way. **Andre** had actually unknowingly shown him a secret way in, as the bishop took an entirely different path than the citizens did when they got baptized. Long, silky crimson robes trailing behind, he headed through a big pile of bushes and down a staircase that was shielded by said bushes. Zack waited a couple minutes to make sure that he'd gone through before Zack dared to follow. Sneaking forward after a sufficient amount of time, Zack traced the exact footsteps of **Andre** and carefully went down the stairs which he did. He could hear the humming and singing of prayer as soon as he pried open the massive wooden door. It was quite terrifying to hear all of the voices combined, but Zack pressed forward. He needed to do what he was asked.

For Tyler's sake.

Zack crept forward into the dusty cellar, making sure to look around before he went in further. There was not even a single sign of life down there, so he continued forward, keeping his footfalls light. He then began to snoop around a bit, looking for exactly the room that Brendon had mentioned where they kept their plans. It was nerve racking every single second that he was there, but Zack pushed his nerves away and continued.

Spiders, and scuttling mice greeted him at every room, which made Zack jump more than once. He could smell rotting wood, old moss, and dusty stone. It made his lungs ache with dryness the longer he breathed in that air.

Finally, Zack found what he was looking for.

The room was much different than the others he'd snooped through. The walls were brand new, carved in crimson marble, flaunting glorious wooden floors. Zack was quite awestruck. He cautiously walked towards a lone desk, where there were countless papers scattered across it. There were papers and journals practically everywhere. He didn't have all the time in the world, so Zack moved quickly. He thumbed through some of the journals, stuffing one into the side of his jeans where he could keep it safe. It had the most detailed parts of their plans in it, so Zack knew he had to take it.

Zack was almost done with his search when he saw something that caught his eye. He turned back to the desk, furrowing his brow as he carefully took the piece of paper in his hands. It was a drawing, one that looked almost hyperrealistic. It was actually quite creepy. Someone in a ski-mask, and a blood red blazer that gave Zack chills. The pigment was so bright, it almost looked like blood. Written in the same deep red letters was a name, and a small biography.

_THE JUDGE._

_OUR SAVIOR. THE ONE WHO BATHES US IN RED AND KEEPS OUR PLANS ALIVE. HE IS THE GREAT ONE, ETERNAL, AND GRACEFUL._

_FOR IF HE FALLS, WE DO AS WELL._

Zack was stunned by how the bishops wrote about this mystery person. He'd never heard anything like it. So there was someone who was higher up than the bishops after all. And this was what The Judge must have looked like.

Zack saw something else that caught his eye.

He reached for a paper that was covered by another, which showed a similar sketch in the same format as The Judge's.

_THE V-_

Zack didn't even get to finish reading the sentence before he felt an ice cold cloth wrap cover his mouth, silencing the teen's immediate screams of terror. He thrashed violently, but quickly began to weaken as the inhalant drugs kicked in. He could only see the reflection of a deep red robe behind him in the mirror ahead, and Zack knew that it was over. His struggles died down, the last thing crossing his mind before he slipped into an unconscious state being words.

" **I tried to warn you of your destiny. You chose the path of your kin, and for that, you will be punished accordingly.** "

 


	7. Chapter 7

🌻  
 **non·plus**  
 **verb**  
 **to surprise and confuse (someone) so much that they are unsure how to react.**  
🌻  
 **song**  
 **wop; j. dash**  
 **don't start the song yet!**  
🌻

**_edited._ **

"I know I'm not really the b-best at saying these kinds of things, but I-I don't even know how to explain what I'm feeling, Ty." Josh stammered, clearly anxious as he tried to explain. Tyler's silence was scaring him, as all he wanted was for Tyler to understand.

Even better, maybe feel the same.

Tyler was still stunned, so he wasn't quite sure what he was supposed to say to that. There was a lot of things that could be messed up if someone knew, but that didn't seem to matter to Josh. His ignorance to consequences was scary to think about, but Josh seemed to only be that way because he cared. He cared too much. "I-I.. I know what that feels like." The brunette whispered, his heart pounding in his chest as loud as the thunder outside. "I just d-don't know if it's a good idea. I like you, b-but what if something happens to you because of me?" He then added, lowering his gaze to the ground.

Josh didn't let him think like that for long, as soon he connected their lips again. It wasn't out of hunger though, it was merely to comfort the other. Tyler never wanted to let go, but Josh did once the brunette began to cry. Concern lit up his gaze, and he pulled Tyler into his chest. Everything that the younger boy had been bottling up since he escaped threatened to all come out at once. As much as he was relieved to be free, freedom came at a cost.

"I miss them, J-Josh.. I-I miss my family. I miss my r-room. I miss Brendon. I m-miss everyone. Everything I had is g-gone.." Tyler sobbed, wrapping his arms tightly around Josh as if he'd lose him any second. The ebony could feel his heart shattering when he heard Tyler's broken words that cried out for help. He didn't know how to help him. He couldn't just bring back Tyler's family.

"I know. It's okay. I'm right here for you. I'll always be here for you.." Josh mumbled, pressing a kiss to the top of Tyler's muddy forehead. He suddenly got an idea. The lightbulb in his head went off, and he definitely had to at least suggest it. "How's your leg doing?" He asked suddenly.

Tyler furrowed his brow. "Why?"

"I have an idea."

The brunette wasn't sure what to expect, but Josh quickly silenced his questions.

"We need to get out of here. Please.." Josh begged. "If you're scared of what others might see, let's just leave for a little bit. Just escape for a while. We can just be with ourselves and only ourselves." He added, taking one of Tyler's hands in his. He then pressed a soft kiss to the top of the brunette's knuckles, stunning Tyler with how affectionate he was being.

"I-I.. Are you sure?" Tyler managed to ask.

"Yes. I'm sure. It can be good for both of us. Nobody will even notice that we're gone if it's only for a few days. Nobody pays attention enough. It'll all be fine, I promise." Josh responded quickly, eagerness clouding his gaze. He clearly believed what he was saying, which eased at least some of Tyler's worries. It was hard not to worry though about something so outlandish. "Please?" Josh's expression softened now, a small smile twitching at his lips.

Tyler couldn't help but crack a smile as well, nodding his head. "Okay." He whispered. "As long as you're sure that I won't be thrown out or something. I don't exactly know how to survive outside the camp." The brunette then replied tartly.

Josh nodded as well. "Promise."

The promise would last as the two went back to camp momentarily, sneaking past a few guards and back into Josh's hut. It was terrifying to have to watch as Josh carefully gathered some things, all the while his family was sleeping.

The dark-haired teen was pretty sneaky, and Tyler had to give him props.

Now with a backpack full of things, Josh headed back outside to where Tyler was waiting. Tyler's gaze was darting anxiously, keeping lookout for anyone who might stroll past and see them. Josh took Tyler's hand to guide him through the back of the camp, behind the tents and back out the hunting tunnel. The rain had started to give out, the clouds drifting elsewhere and revealing the clear night sky above. It was starting to get cold again though, which Tyler didn't particularly enjoy.

What he did enjoy about it was how Josh gently squeezed the brunette's hand, now walking closer as they kept going.

It was honestly beautiful to finally be able to take in the rugged outdoors that Tyler had been dreaming of for so long. He was finally where he should be. After years of wondering, being under the night sky like this made him feel a sense of home that he hadn't ever felt before. It was strange, but a good feeling.

Keeping a brisk pace, the two kept walking for a while. It was a shorter distance than Tyler remembered, but he'd zoned out for the majority of the walk anyway. After what could have easily been two or so hours, the sun's glow was beginning to peek over the horizon. They were nearing an abandoned post that Josh had been talking about the whole way, stating that it was a place where nobody had been for ages. It was their safest bet to not be found.

Tyler approached the post first, which was an old rotted cabin that looked like it had been there for decades. He waited for Josh to finish the climb up the steep hill path, letting him take the lead. It was surprisingly much warmer inside, especially when Josh took an unlit torch out of his backpack and set it ablaze, placing it in a holder a few feet away. It seemed to keep the air inside very well, which warmed up the cabin quite quick. Tyler noticed the old mattress that sat atop a box spring in the corner of the room. He wasted no time laying down, realizing just how much he missed having an actual bed.

It was a decent sized bed, which made him wonder why it hadn't been taken yet. Maybe the size was why. It would have sucked to lug that thing somewhere.

Tyler let his body relax as he stared up at the ceiling. The other was busy doing something of his own, unpacking some things for their short stay. Once he was done though, Josh didn't hesitate to come over to where Tyler was resting.

"Scoot." The dark-haired Bandito ordered gently. Tyler did as he was asked, letting a smile slip onto his face as Josh laid down beside him.

Josh looked exhausted, but his eyes lit up when he noticed Tyler leaning in. Tenderly, their lips met, an affectionate gesture that made both of their hearts skip a beat in excitement. Josh took it a little further than just childish pecks, his eagerness to be close taking over easily. He cupped Tyler's cheek with a hand, tilting the other's head so he could deepen the kiss. It was still gentle, but Josh was growing impatient quickly.

Tyler moaned softly into Josh's mouth as the teen kissed him harder, one of his hands resting on the brunette's hip. The quiet noise was music to Josh's ears, who then hooked a leg over Tyler to straddle him, gaining the upper hand quite easily. Tyler was much too meek to do anything about it, but he definitely didn't mind. Josh's plump lips now trailing kisses from his jawline to his neck felt wonderful. Tyler let out a shy whimper, threading his fingers through Josh's thick black curls.

"Jooosh.."

The way that Tyler moaned his name sent shivers up the other teen's spine, who was now sucking deeper marks into Tyler's skin.

The miles and miles that they were now away from any other humans made Josh feel safe enough to show his emotion to Tyler, which felt very nice. Tyler had always found himself wondering what was going through the other's head, but it was abundantly clear right now.

Josh didn't take it much further, as they were both close to exhausted from their travels. Not to mention how much Tyler's leg was aching from all of that walking. Josh slowed down, reducing his actions to only gentle, closed-mouthed kisses on Tyler's throat. It caused the brunette to laugh lightly when Josh peppered kisses all over his face, a laugh that made Josh's chest fill with warmth.

It was an unmistakable warmth. It was love.

Both of them were too stubborn to admit.

They laid in silence for a few minutes, the only sound being the slight whirring of the wind outside. Tyler let out a small yawn, rolling onto his back so he could stretch. The lazy atmosphere made it easy to want to lounge around. Josh seemed to have other plans though, as he slipped back out of bed to go to his bag. The backpack that he'd packed with essentials was on the floor, so he knelt down to grab something from it. Tyler propped himself up on his elbows, gazing over curiously to see what the other was doing.

"Have you ever listened to music before?"

Tyler shook his head. Even though he loved music, he'd only ever made his own. He'd never actually listened to someone else's before, which actually made his heart jump with excitement thinking about it. Tyler sat up fully now, pulling his legs close to his body to conserve warmth.

"Well, sir, you have been missing out." Josh stated, a small smile dancing on his lips as he came back over to the bed. He sat down beside Tyler, holding something in his hands. It was a small electronic device that Tyler had never seen before. "Put these over your ears." Josh ordered, handing something that looked like a pair of earmuffs to Tyler. He tipped his head to one side out of confusion, but he did as he was told to anyway. They weren't the most comfortable things ever.

"They're not very warm." Tyler pointed out.

Josh snorted with laughter. "They're not earmuffs, silly. They're headphones. Listen."

**start the song!**

He pressed a button on the device in his hands that had a small arrow on it. Tyler jumped when he heard something being played, the sound going straight into his ears. Chills crept along his skin, making goosebumps start to rise. His expression changed into one of pure awe; he lifted his hands up to press the speakers closer to his ears. Josh could help but laugh, the pure amazement on the younger teen's face hilarious to witness.

The singer was young, and the music was super upbeat. Tyler had never heard anything like it before. The things he'd written were always so slow and full of melancholy. This was completely different.

"Holy crap. These are awesome." Tyler said, speaking just a little too loud to be socially acceptable. He didn't know how loud he was talking, as the music was drowning out his voice. Josh chuckled, pulling the headphones off of Tyler's head. The brunette seethed through his teeth, realizing how loud he'd been talking. "Sorry." He added quietly.

Josh shook his head, unplugging the headphones and instead playing the song out loud so they could both hear it. With that, Josh hopped to his feet and took a few steps away from Tyler, who tipped his head to one side curiously.

Tyler had to cover his mouth with a hand to suppress his laughter when Josh started to dance along to the song. He couldn't help it, snickering through his fingers. "Hit it!" Tyler exclaimed, urging Josh to keep going.

Josh was by no means a professional, but it was still fun to watch. It was the first time that Tyler had laughed for real in a very long time.

He was happy.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> smut chapter

🌻

 **pu** · **ri** · **ty**

**noun**

**freedom** **from** **contamination**.

🌻

**song**

**love** **me** **like** **you** **do;** **ellie** **goulding**

🌻

 

_**edited.** _

 

It had nearly been a week since the two boys left, and they'd faced no repercussions. There was no humans for miles, which often let them be a lot closer than they normally would be. Josh wasn't afraid to be touchy, and Tyler loved it. He'd never been shown this kind of affection, and he couldn't ever get enough of it.

 

The distance from humanity felt wonderful.

 

Tyler lowered closer to the snowy ground, letting out a patient sigh through his nose as he looked ahead. It was almost impossible to see the skinny white hare that was wading its way through the piling snow, but Tyler couldn't lose sight of it now. Food was already growing shorter, and they definitely hadn't picked the best time of year to leave the well protected and fed camp. Tyler drew his bow, a few days of practice with Josh really paying off as now he felt much more comfortable taking the life of a living creature. He knew it was for the greater good.

 

Tyler let go of the arrow that he'd pulled all the way back on the string, letting it whiz through the air and make its home in the flank of the white rabbit. A shrill squeak cut through the silence, making Tyler jump a little. He felt a tiny bit of guilt, but he'd managed to swallow it as he approached the now dead animal. Tyler removed the arrow, cracking a smile when he saw how his aim was improving. He dropped the carcass in his string pack, heading back to the cabin where they had set up camp until they felt like going back to civilization.

 

The journey wasn't long, as the hunting ground was pretty close to where the cabin was. It made living there for a bit a lot easier when they had a stable source of food during the much colder months.

 

The moment Tyler stepped into the cabin, he knew something was up. It wasn't a bad thing, more of a 'something is watching me' type of deal. That something ended up becoming someone. Tyler turned his back towards the inside of the cabin for a moment, setting his kill down in their makeshift snow freezer. As soon as he set the lid down, he felt arms wrap tenderly around his waist. Tyler was startled at first, letting out a small gasp, but he quickly relaxed when he heard the honey-sweet voice of the other young man.

 

"I've missed you all day," Josh mumbled, "Hunting is a lonely calling."

 

Allowing the dark-haired teen to pull him back into his chest, Tyler couldn't help but crack a large smile. "I wasn't lonely. I'm guessing you were?" He asked cheekily, turning his body halfway to face Josh.

 

Josh didn't respond with words, only actions.

 

Josh slowly cupped his palms under Tyler's thighs, hoisting the brunette up with him as he rose to his feet. Tyler slung his arms around Josh's neck, a fit of giggles escaping as he was carried quite effortlessly to the small mattress. Their touches started out gentle, very cautious as they were both still a little bit wary of their quickly moving relationship. Maybe it was just because neither of them had ever felt so strongly about another person before, and it scared them a little to think about how much they truly felt for each other.

 

Their lips connected, begging, wishing for more already. Josh positioned himself strategically between Tyler's legs, leaning over his body to easily pin him with his weight. Subtle whines escaped the brunette's throat as he gripped onto Josh's jacket with nimble fingers, pulling him in closer.

 

Slowly, clothes began to shed. Even the cold couldn't keep them apart physically, as it seemed much warmer in that room when they were like this.

 

Hot skin pressed together, movements in total harmony, heartbeats in synch. Vulnerability hung in the air as they eventually got to their rawest form, no barriers between them besides the occasional brush of the blankets. Tyler was breathing erratically, anxiety making his blood feel hot in his veins.

 

Josh brought up one of his hands to Tyler's face, two of Josh's fingers resting on the brunette's lower lip. When Tyler saw the other teen's expectant look, he was confused. That confusion melted away when he heard a simple command.

 

"Suck."

 

Tyler's eyes blew wide, his face red with embarrassment. He hesitated, but ended up complying. Tyler hadn't quite put two and two together yet, because after he did what he was told, he found himself just as confused as before. "W-why?" He asked, the innocence in his voice making Josh chuckle huskily.

 

"Just tell me if you want me to stop, okay?" Josh replied, lowering his now lubricated fingers back out of sight. The way Josh answered his question with a question made the brunette nervous.

 

He nodded regardless.

 

Josh inserted a finger, easing Tyler into it. Even when he was gentle, the brunette couldn't keep back a low whimper. He could feel his ears buzzing with some emotion that he'd never felt before.

 

"Good?"

 

Josh inserted a second.

 

"Mm'y-yes.."

 

Tyler mewled as Josh curled his fingers, sinking his teeth into Josh's collarbone to suppress the moan that was brewing deep in his lungs. "A-a..hh.." The brunette felt a sharp nip of pain, but he definitely didn't want the other to stop. If anything, the pain felt good mixed in with the immense pressure of need. It became increasingly clear that Josh was preparing him for something more, as it become clear what the other teen eventually wanted. Tyler could tell from the warm, hard thing that was pressing up against his thigh.

 

"If it's too much, you know what to say." Josh whispered, clearly a bit nervous as he was already pushing the other male out of his comfort zone.

 

"Keep going.." Tyler gasped, hooking his arms around Josh's neck. This caused Josh to smirk at the brunette's assertiveness.

 

His touch was gentle, but the feelings were so strong. He couldn't explain why. Tyler's throat felt swollen as he choked out a low moan, one that sent shivers down his spine as it left from between his lips. Tyler wasn't sure what changed, but Josh's nimble fingers hit a specific spot that made him cry out in pleasure. His back arched again, breaths coming out shaky.

 

Josh hungered for more already, making it perfectly clear when he said a simple statement. "It's really going to hurt." He warned, not wanting to sugarcoat it. The most he could do was using his own spit, but in his experience with others, it only took the worst of the bite off.

 

Tyler was barely able to think about it, just nodding his head as he squirmed. With that, Josh slipped his fingers out, now spitting in his palms to use it as the only lubricant they had access to. "Just let me know if it's too much." Josh whispered, pressing himself closer to the brunette so he could enter as painlessly as possible. He tried his best to be gentle at first, going in slow so Tyler could get used to the feeling.

 

Josh started to suck faint red marks into Tyler's pale skin, cupping the teen's thighs. It was awkward and fumbly at first, but the moment that they figured out what they were going to do, it started to get more serious. Tyler wrapped his legs around Josh's hips, pulling himself closer and wrapping his arms around his neck. He threw his head back, his eyes squeezing closed as he fought through the pain that Josh warned him about.

 

Josh gently squeezed Tyler's hips a little, pushing himself into the other fully. A strangled gasp left Tyler's lungs into the curly-haired man's neck, turning into a sly moan as Josh slowly rocked his hips to ease him into it. "Good?" Josh repeated, wanting confirmation before he kept going.

 

Tyler kept his eyes closed, gritting his teeth as he nodded. He tightened his legs around Josh's waist, pulling him forward and getting as close as he possibly could to the other man, letting out soft groans and a little greedy as Josh kept moving. "M-more," Tyler gasped, digging his nails into the other's pale skin.

 

Josh hissed lightly under his breath when he felt the other man's nails in his back. The pain only made him want to continue though. It wasn't a bad kind of pain to him. Josh let out hot breaths against Tyler's neck, sucking bruises into the skin. His head was spinning from the pleasure that scorched through his veins like fire. Josh had to bite back any sounds, as he was not the vocal type.

 

Once Tyler seemed to be used to the dull ache, Josh eagerly roughened his thrusts, letting out hot exhales into Tyler's neck as he continued to go in harder. He didn't want to rush, as he knew that Tyler had scarcely a shred of experience in this.

 

Tyler's quiet moans were growing much louder now, trying to muffle his sounds by biting his lip, realizing how vocal he was being. "O-oh.. goodness.." Tyler breathed out, stifling a loud moan that was threatening to spill out into the open. He was trying not to use anything in vain, as he never even swore unless he was very angry. He was used to holding his tongue.

 

Their bodies were so close that Josh could feel the other teen's racing heartbeat against his own chest. Josh wasn't anywhere near his end yet though, as he wanted to guide Tyler through the overwhelming emotions he was no doubt feeling right now. You would think that it was instinct to know what they were, but after his whole life of being sheltered, Tyler felt utterly clueless as his emotions went through so many different changes in such a small amount of time.

 

Josh shifted his position slightly, trying to find a sweet spot in the brunette. He gripped the man's thighs a little tighter, adjusting how he was standing a little as well. He grunted with effort, deepening his reach inside the brunette as he pressed close. Josh didn't know where it was, but he was sure that Tyler would let him know when he found it.

 

After a little while of slow, calculated thrusts that made Tyler a moaning, flustered mess, the brunette suddenly felt a large wave of pleasure pour over him when Josh hit something inside him. He let a loud groan break through his lips, a sound that was utterly sinful. Tyler tried to keep himself quiet, muffled, strained whimpers of pleasure trying to break free from his lips each time Josh would thrust forward.

 

Josh waited for more sexual frustration to build up inside the brunette as he continued his slow pace. He grazed his teeth against a delicate spot just below Tyler's ear, making him let out a high pitched whimper.

 

"O-oh.. J-Josh.." Tyler moaned, his heart racing a million miles an hour as he dug his nails into the other teen's back.

 

Josh was getting closer now, but he forced himself to keep going until Tyler was just as close as himself. "Agh.. f-fuck.." Josh muttered under his breath, movements starting to quicken. He finally connected their lips again, swallowing the other man's moans as they started to get much louder. He furrowed his brow as he continued to hit the same place inside the brunette, the effort required to do so enough to wear him down. "A-almost.." Josh managed to whisper, not even able to finish his sentence as he focused on pleasing Tyler.

 

Tyler squeezed his eyes shut tightly, letting out another loud groan, this time the sound being muffled into Josh’s mouth. He could feel a sudden high washing over him, a confused expression lacing his features. “Somethin’s happenin’..” Tyler gasped, barely able to speak as he tried to suppress the worst of the sounds that were trying to escape.

 

“Does it feel good, baby?” Josh purred, pressing a few kisses to the other teen’s bare, moonlight pale skin.

 

The brunette nodded sharply, the process of just getting words out of his mouth suddenly much more difficult than before. “V’good..” He whispered, moving his hips with Josh’s to strengthen the feeling he was getting.

 

“Do you feel close?”

 

Tyler’s face suddenly felt hot.

 

“T-to what?”

 

Josh just smirked at his innocence. The curly-haired Bandito didn’t respond with words, instead upping his game to hopefully show Tyler what he meant instead of tell. The moment he began to roll and buck his hips into Tyler, the brunette lost it. His noises were deafening, filling the whole room with his vulnerable cries of pleasure.

 

He understood what Josh meant now, as his head felt so light as he seemed to climb higher and higher to something that he couldn’t explain. “Wh-what’s happening?” Tyler gasped, digging his blunt nails into Josh’s skin and tightening his grip with his legs around the other’s waist.

 

“Just let go, baby.. Lose yourself for me.” Josh urged with vague words, but with clear meanings.

 

Tyler swallowed thickly, nodding his head as he tossed it back into the pillow. “P-please..” Josh began to suck deeper bruises into the teen’s throat, pushing him closer and closer to a metaphorical edge that Tyler couldn’t explain with words.

 

Josh simply loved the brunette’s desperate tone, especially as he begged for more. Josh drove himself as far into Tyler as he could, hitting the same spot as before that threatened to drive the teen crazy. Josh definitely wouldn’t let go of the fact that he’d found another sweet spot, especially since this one seemed to affect Tyler the most. Pairing that with gentle sucking and nibbling on the patch of skin below Tyler’s ear, Josh had found the perfect way to make the other wail.

 

Tyler didn’t even know he could make such a noise, screaming out in pleasure, arching his back off of the bed as Josh pinned him with his weight. He tangled his fingers in Josh’s hair as the other man continued to hit the same spot deep inside him, sending shockwaves of hot ecstasy through his burning veins. He didn’t want Josh to stop, but it was becoming so difficult to even breathe from the intensity.

 

Josh didn’t falter, his ego only being boosted as he heard Tyler cry out for him. It made him want to keep going. “Beg for me, baby boy. I want to hear you plead.” Josh mumbled, keeping his voice low and husky to keep the brunette’s attention on him. It was any easy ploy to make the other even more horny.

 

Tyler didn’t hesitate to follow Josh’s instructions, wanting the other teen to continue. “O-oh, God,” Tyler breathed out onto Josh’s slightly tanned skin. “Please, Josh. Just k-keep going.” He was trying to keep his stuttering to a minimum, but he was still tripping over his words quite a bit. Tyler let a soft moan brush past Josh’s ear, adding onto the begging words. “More,” Tyler pleaded loudly.

 

“More what?” Josh taunted.

 

Tyler let out a breath through his nose, curling his toes and still holding onto the blankets, just Josh’s tone making his stomach twist up in aroused knots. “E-everything, please,” he sighed weakly, “Make me scream again..” Tyler begged for Josh to follow that request, unable to keep himself away from yearning for the overwhelming stimulation that caused him to do so in the first place.

 

“No problem, baby,” Josh whispered, licking up Tyler’s neck and then stopping at the sweet spot on his throat. He grunted with effort as he strengthened his thrust more, bucking his hips against the other teen’s. Now, Josh sank his teeth slightly into the spot, feeling Tyler jolt in surprise as his sharp canines dug into the sensitive skin.

 

Tyler threw his head back, letting out another frustrated cry of pleasure. He gasped lightly when Josh moved his lips up below his ear, knowing it was only a matter of seconds before he was done. He was being very vocal now, moaning every time Josh would rock his body so gently against his own. The way he moved inside him was excruciatingly brilliant, sending a rush of hot pleasure right through his body in waves with every thrust and movement. His heart was pounding so hard in his chest that he wouldn’t be surprised if Josh could hear it over his screams of pure ecstasy.

 

Josh slowed down a little, letting Tyler reach his climax steadily instead of being rushed. “Go ahead, baby boy..” Josh whispered breathlessly into Tyler’s ear.

 

Tyler finally reached his climax, letting out one final cry.

 

“J-Jooosh!”

 

The last moan he let out reached the sky, filling the room with the sexual frustration that Tyler had finally released. Josh was able to reach his as well, hitting him so suddenly that he released a little too much. Tyler yelped in surprise when he felt Josh’s warmth inside him, making him cling onto the other teen’s back tighter.

 

“Wh-what was-“ Tyler panicked, “D-Did I do somethin—“

 

“Shhh, baby,” Josh soothed, “It’s okay. It was me. You did great, and made me feel good.” He whispered, still feeling a little embarrassed and bad that he didn’t warn Tyler that he was going to let go. He massaged gentle circles into the brunette’s hips, still catching his breath as he remained in Tyler. Josh’s throbbing heat didn’t allow Tyler to edge down from his high, the feeling of it still being there sending hot shivers of pleasure down his spine.

 

“Y-You’re still..” Tyler barely was able to speak before he let out a soft, despairing moan as Josh pulled out slowly, which solved his complaint. He could feel sticky warmth between his thighs, the aftermath of Josh’s loss of self control. It was painful for him to try to hold it in, and the way that Tyler cried out for him made it impossible as well.

 

They both lay, skin slick with sweat and stuck together below their hips with fluid, catching their breath. Exhausted, sickened with love, two broken teens finding each other in the midst of a war.

 

But the war was just getting started.


End file.
